8 galleries and stores where you can buy modern pottery "Mashiko Pottery
Mashiko pottery has been popular for daily use since the kilns were established at the end of the Edo period. There are about 250 kilns and 50 pottery stores. The styles are diverse, from young to experienced potters. In Mashiko Town, you can purchase a wide variety of Mashiko-yaki, from pieces with a rustic, folk art appeal, to those with a strong design, to those with a modern, humorous feel.
We will introduce some of the many Mashiko pottery galleries that we recommend.
<Recommended Mashiko Pottery Galleries and Shops>.
- 1 Ceramic Gallery Touko
- 2 Moegi Jonouchizaka Store
- 3 G+OO (G+OO)
- 4 Yamani Otsuka Main Store
- 5 Hana Megane Shokai
- 6 Pejite
- 7 Enokida Kiln, main store
- 8 Tsumakomoto
<Hot spring ryokan to enjoy "Mashiko Pottery" to the fullest
<Recommended Mashiko Pottery Galleries and Shops>.
1Pottery Gallery Touko
A full lineup of original brands and unique works by artists.
Located on Jouchizaka-dori, the main street of Mashiko Town, the Artists' Hall displays a variety of Mashiko pottery, mainly works from its own kiln, "Dosodo-Wada Kiln".
The atmospheric building from the late Taisho period (1912-1926) was converted from a merchant's Oyaishi warehouse into a gallery and other facilities based on the concept of "Modern Mashiko. The store also sells the works of about 30 artists working in the Mashiko Town area.
An atmospheric gallery that can be enjoyed just by looking at it
The spacious interior is as exciting as touring a museum. The shop offers a wide variety of handmade ceramics, many of which can only be purchased here.
Dosodo Wada Kiln features both handmade pieces using a potter's wheel and molded pieces. The wide variety of pieces that can be produced at Dosodo Wada Kiln makes it popular among a wide range of people.
In addition to pottery, there are also accessories and miscellaneous goods, so just looking around is enjoyable.
- Ceramic Gallery Touko
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2 Jonaisaka, Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi MAP
15 min. walk from Mashiko Station of Moka Railway
10:00-18:00
Year-end and New Year's holidays
0285-72-2081
Free of charge
2Moegi Jonouchizaka Store
Many up-and-coming works by young artists
The store is located on Jouchizaka Street, near the Jouchizaka intersection, where Mashiko pottery stores line Jouchizaka Street, and has about 1,000 registered artists.
Pottery that changes every two weeks
The galleries are located on the first floor, where seasonal exhibitions are held, the basement, which mainly features solo exhibitions, the mezzanine floor, where many works are displayed, and the second floor, which mainly features solo exhibitions. All of them change on a two-week cycle, so you can enjoy unexpected encounters or visit the gallery according to the artist you are looking for.
A popular event is the "Maneki Neko Exhibition" held every year during the New Year's holiday. This exhibition gathers artistic cat works from all over Japan and is especially recommended for cat lovers. In addition, workshops are held on an irregular basis, so it is a good idea to check in advance before going.
- Moegi Jonouchizaka Store
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150 Jonaizaka, Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi MAP
18 min. walk from Mashiko Station of Moka Railway
10:00-18:00
Closed on Fridays
0285-72-6003
Free of charge
3G+OO (G+OO)
A wide variety of ceramics and sundries to make your everyday life more enjoyable.
The store, located in the middle of Jonouchizaka-dori, the main street lined with Mashiko pottery stores, is a select store of ceramics and sundries with a natural atmosphere based on white and wood grain. The concept of the products on display is "things that make life fun," and the shop offers a full lineup of stylish kitchenware, household goods, stationery, and other items.
Among the works of local artists popular among the younger generation, the "slipware" ceramics are noteworthy, a unique technique used in England from the 17th to 19th century, and its modern patterns bring a novel design to Mashiko pottery. There are only a few artists in Mashiko, and most of their works are one-of-a-kind, so you can look forward to encountering them.
Natural atmosphere inside the store
The store has two floors with a calm atmosphere. The shop has two floors with stylish displays of lifestyle suggestions, making it enjoyable just to look around. There is also pottery for children, and everything from everyday use to gifts is available.
The store also offers workshops on fabric items such as stuffed toys. Event information is announced through blog posts and direct mail.
- G+OO (G+OO)
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115 Jouchizaka, Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi MAP
20 min. walk from Mashiko Station on the Moka Railway
11:00-17:00, Saturday, Sunday, Holidays ~18:00
Wednesdays (open if Wednesday is a national holiday)
0285-72-0098
Free of charge (2 cars)
4Yamani Otsuka main store
A popular spot with a café and pottery classes
At the Yamani Otsuka Main Store, you will find a gallery that introduces young Mashiko pottery artists, a floor where you can enjoy seasonal fashions, and a store selling handmade sweets.
One of the most popular features is that all the products on display are handmade and can be purchased at reasonable prices. A pottery school, Restaurant, and café also operate on the premises.
One-of-a-kind, high-priced items are sold at the adjacent Craft Yamani and Gallery Midorito-ri.
A wide variety of traditional and up-and-coming works
Works by popular potters "Wakasama Pottery" and "Yoshizawa Kiln" and popular ceramic artists "Wakaba Enokida" and "Kotaro Okabe" are also available, and there are about 150 works by a wide range of artists from traditional Mashiko pottery to up-and-coming young artists. Many people purchase tableware for daily use or for interior decoration.
- Yamani Otsuka Main Store
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88 Jouchizaka, Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi MAP
24 min. walk from Mashiko Station on the Moka Railway
Take a bus from Mashiko Station on the Moka Railway and get off at "Tokogei Messe Iriguchi" (entrance to the pottery fair). 2 min. walk from the bus stop.
9:30-17:30
0285-81-6363
Free of charge
5Hana Megane Shokai
An antiquarian bookstore where you can find unique items
An 8-minute walk from Mashiko Station, this antiquarian bookstore with gallery is housed in a renovated old-fashioned house in the old town. The shop sells kokeshi dolls made by Mashiko pottery artist "AGO PAIX LABO," whose paintings are based on beautiful patterns from around the world. The pottery, which depicts the face of a traditional kokeshi doll with a delicate touch, has many fans, and some people buy their favorites one by one every time they visit.
A retro store surrounded by old books where time passes slowly.
Inside the store, you will find shelves lined with used books, kokeshi sundries, retro kitchen items, and more. Visitors can enjoy encountering things with a taste from both Japan and overseas.
Around the time of the "Mashiko Pottery Market" held in spring, the "Masco Pottery Market" is held in the store, where works painted by illustrator Masuko Eri on vessels made by Mashiko artists are displayed and sold. A wide variety of wonderful vessels are available.
- Hana Megane Shokai
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1665 Mashiko, Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi MAP
8 min. walk from Mashiko Station on the Moka Railway.
Open 11:00-17:00
Wednesdays and Thursdays (Closed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in winter. In winter, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, but may be closed irregularly, so please check the website)
0285-77-5370
Free of charge
6pejite
A select store of Mashiko tableware, old furniture, and apparel items
Entering the main street of Mashiko's old city center, you will see a stone warehouse with ivy tangled around it, which is "pejite".
The owner of "Nihira Old Furniture Store," which has stores in neighboring Moka City and Mashiko Town, fell in love with the atmosphere and space of this warehouse and opened the store selling old furniture, tableware, and clothing. The selection of tableware is centered on contemporary artists from Mashiko. The lineup is easy to use in daily life and reasonably priced. The shop also carries a full lineup of tableware by Tadao Akutsu (pictured above) and Akiko Tao, whose tableware is popular for its soft, pliable texture.
Items are tastefully displayed in a former rice warehouse.
The 60-year-old building, a former rice warehouse made of Oya stone, is spacious, with an area of approximately 70 tsubo. The building has a unique history, having been used as a practice field for the local youth baseball team and as a sculptor's studio after it was no longer used as a rice warehouse. It is worth taking the time to look around the gallery-like space, where antique tools, vessels, and knick-knacks complement each other in a quiet and relaxing atmosphere. It is located in an easy stopover during a pottery market or city tour.
7Enokida Kiln, main store
The charm of the shop lies in the three distinct styles of the fourth and fifth generations of the couple.
From Mashiko Station, drive east on Route 230 for about eight minutes, and you will find Enokida Kiln's main store. The kiln has been in business for more than 100 years and has a long history, especially in kyusu (Japanese teapot) making. The works of three family members, the fourth generation and the fifth generation husband and wife, who have inherited the traditional techniques, are on display. The store's first floor, a two-story building, was originally used as a workshop, and the second floor is the family's three-person pottery studio.
A full lineup of daily-use utensils such as tea sets and mugs
The fifth generation's works are pottery with patterns such as polka dots and latticework, created by the Enokida Kiln's traditional wax coating and glaze bouncing method (wax removal). The gentle feminine colors are inspired by nature, such as the soil, greenery, and sky she sees on her walks, and are very popular because they brighten up the dining table. The fifth-generation owner expresses the jumping plane technique, which was directly handed down from the fourth generation, with a modern sense. Pasta, Asian food, and of course Japanese food all look great served on the table and go well with other tableware.
- Enokida Kiln, main store
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4240 Mashiko, Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi MAP
8 min. drive from Mashiko Station on the Moka Railway
10:00-16:00
Thursdays
0285-72-2528
Free of charge
8Tsukamoto
Mashiko Pottery Theme Park, where you can Buy, Eat, and Experience Mashiko Pottery
Tsukamoto, which has been in business for 150 years, is about a 7-minute drive east of Mashiko Station. The main building, an artists' museum, an art museum, and Dining Area are scattered among the mountains, making it a spot where Mashiko pottery can be enjoyed from many angles. If you are looking for casual daily-use pottery, go to the main building. The main building offers a wide variety of reasonably priced original "Tsukamoto" and artist's products, including tableware and vases with the warmth of Mashiko pottery.
Incidentally, the containers for the "Tougenokamameshi" at Yokogawa Station on the Shinetsu Main Line (also known as "Kamakko") are made by Tsukamoto. The miniature earthenware pots that cook one cup of rice, reminiscent of the "kamakko," make great souvenirs.
Artists' pavilion with works by living national treasures and emerging artists
If you are looking for a special gift or a favorite item, we recommend visiting the Artists' Museum. Here, you can view and purchase works by Mashiko's leading masters, such as Shoji Hamada, a living national treasure who created many folk crafts, and Shoji Kamota, a genius ceramic artist.
In addition, visitors can experience making ceramics and tour the climbing kiln that was once used and the current kiln factory (Property tours are available for groups of four or more people; advance reservations are required). Visitors can enjoy not only buying, but also seeing, eating, and playing.
- Tsumakomoto
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Mashiko 4264 Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi MAP
Approximately 7 minutes by car from Mashiko Station on the Moka Railway
10:30-17:00, Dining Area 11:30-15:00, Art Museum 11:00-15:00
Thursdays (Dining Area and Art Museum are open on Wednesdays and Thursdays)
Admission to the museum: Adults 300 yen, Elementary school students 150 yen
0285-72-3223
Free of charge (fee may be charged during events)
<Hot spring ryokan to enjoy "Mashiko Pottery" to the fullest
After a day of shopping for Mashiko pottery, how about relaxing at a hot spring inn scattered with Mashiko pottery, Kurobane indigo dyeing, Oya stone, and other Tochigi folk art?
9KAI Hoshino Resorts KAI Kinugawa
Enjoy Tochigi folk art at a modern hot spring hotel.
About 5 minutes by car from Kinugawa hot spring station. This hot spring ryokan is located on a small hill facing the Kinugawa River. The entrance hall, reached by a ramp car, is filled with the soft, clear sounds of a suikinkutsu (water fountain) made of Mashiko pottery. Traditional Tochigi crafts such as Mashiko pottery, Kurobane indigo dyeing, and Oya stone are used throughout the inn, and you can feel the hospitality of a place with deep ties to folk crafts.
In the outdoor hot spring facing the courtyard, guests can enjoy bathing while admiring the beautiful scenery of the four seasons. Guest rooms are all "Tochigi Mingei no Ma" (Room of Tochigi Folk Crafts), where you can spend a relaxing time in a space decorated with traditional arts and crafts.
For meals, we offer "Ryujin KAI Local Flavors," in which dishes are prepared in front of Guest/customer's eyes using a baking stone heated to approximately 800 degrees Celsius. Enjoy the dynamic flavor of the food.
- Hoshino Resorts KAI Kinugawa
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308 Kinugawa Onsen Taki, Nikko, Tochigi MAP
5 minutes drive from JR/Tobu Kinugawa hot spring station
0570-073-011(Kai Reservation Center)
Available
Click here for reservations
Hoshino Resorts KAI Kinugawa Reservation site



