Traditional Namamigaki method with only a few pieces finished per day

Teapots from Sado Island are always popular. We wish we could introduce more varieties, but there is a limit to the quantity that the potters can produce.

This is because, on Sado Island, the technique of "Nama Migaki" (raw polishing) is performed manually. All teapots with a smooth surface have undergone this "Nama Migaki" process.

"Nama Migaki" involves manually pressing, rubbing, and smoothing the surface of the teapot after it has been dried for a certain period, thereby compacting the clay and giving it a polished finish.

Once the teapot has been fully compacted, it is dried and then undergoes "Nama Migaki" again.

This increases the density of the clay, resulting in a solid and refined finish.

Due to the "Nama Migaki" process, the handles and spouts have a natural finish, as if they were branches growing from a tree.

 

This "Nama Migaki" technique was brought over from Yixing, China. The teapots from Yixing, China, are also finished with "Nama Migaki."

Currently, as far as I know, Sado Island is the only place in Japan where "Nama Migaki" is still performed manually in the traditional way.