How to enjoy Mashiko Vol. 1 ~ Experience the elegance of handicrafts that live in the land ~

Mashiko Town is famous for its Mashiko pottery, and the Mashiko Pottery Market, held every spring and autumn, attracts a total of about 600,000 visitors in total. However, Mashiko Town actually has many other attractive tourist spots besides Mashiko pottery. Here we will introduce ways to enjoy Mashiko other than Mashiko pottery.

Written by

Mashiko Town Tourism and Commerce Division

Mashiko Town stretches gently in the southeastern part of Tochigi Prefecture, north of the Kanto Plain. This land, nurtured by the changing nature of the four seasons and gently rolling mountains, produces high-quality potter's clay, which is the raw material for pottery. When you wrap it in your palm, you can feel the warmth of the earth, and it has become known not only in Japan but also overseas as ``Mashiko ware''. Another major attraction is the enterprising character of the area, which has long been a base for the folk art movement and has welcomed potters from both Japan and abroad. You will be able to experience the depth of Mashiko every time you come into contact with its long-cultivated history, culture, and rich nature.

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Mashiko sightseeing facilities

Mashiko Town has been loved by many cultural figures and has been a place of production.

By following in the footsteps of the people who built Mashiko into what it is today, including the works of Living National Treasures Shoji Hamada and Tatsuzo Shimaoka, as well as the plant dyeing technique designated as an intangible cultural property of Tochigi Prefecture, you can feel the "spirit of handicraft" that lives on in this land.

This facility, which brings together the best of Mashiko, is sure to bring new discoveries to our daily lives.

Mashiko Ceramic Art Museum

Mashiko Ceramic Art Museum

321-4217 3021 Mashiko, Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture

In addition to permanently displaying the works of Mashiko's leading potters such as Shoji Hamada and Tatsuzo Shimaoka, we also hold various special exhibitions. Hamada's former home has been relocated on the premises, and the climbing kiln that he loved during his lifetime has been restored.

Mashiko Yuwakan / Throne Hall and Peace Gallery (Nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property)

Mashiko Yuwakan Gozasho/Heiwa Gallery

321-4217 4264-8 Mashiko, Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture

This is a building (formerly Nanma Hotel) where His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus used to evacuate school children during his time as Crown Prince, and is an accommodation facility that was taken over by Mashiko Town and renovated. The ``Gallery of Peace,'' which introduces newspapers from the end of the war and the relationship between Tochigi Prefecture and the Imperial Family, and the ``Gozasho,'' where His Majesty the Emeritus of the Crown Prince listened to Gyokuon broadcasts are open to the public.

Higeta Indigo Dyeing Workshop (Prefectural designated cultural property: Building / Prefectural designated intangible cultural property holder: 9th generation head of the family, Mr. Tadashi Higeta)

Higeta Aizome Studio

321-4218 1 Jonaisaka, Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture

This indigo dyeing shop was founded during the Edo period (1789-1801). There are 72 indigo vats neatly lined up inside the over 220-year-old Tsugiya-style building with a thatched roof arranged in an L-shape. Indigo dyeing, also known as ``Japan Blue'' and ``Hiroshige Blue,'' is preserved and handed down using traditional techniques.

Hamada Shoji Memorial Mashiko Reference Museum (Nationally registered tangible cultural property: Hamada Kiln Nagayamon Gate)

Shoji Hamada Memorial Mashiko Sankokan Museum

3388 Mashiko, Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture 321-4217

This exhibition hall utilizes part of Shoji Hamada's home and workshop, where he created pottery. In addition to his own works, he exhibits crafts from other countries that he has collected and used as reference, as well as works by Kanjiro Kawai and Bernard Leach, with whom he has been close friends.

Wagner Nandor Art Gallery

Wagner Nandor Art Gallery

321-4217 4338 Mashiko, Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture

We hold regular exhibitions for one month twice each year, in spring and fall, displaying the works of Hungarian sculptor Wagner Nandor. You can also tour the atelier, student dormitory, and tea room that were the bases of his creative activities during his lifetime.