Training for Vietnamese Potters at Toho Village to Create High Value-Added Pottery!

On February 20, 2024, potters from Phu Lang Village in northern Vietnam visited Toho Village in Fukuoka Prefecture, one of Japan's leading pottery producing region.

They visited four potteries in Toho Village through the course of about 10 days to receive technical training to make “small high value-added pottery” including tea utensils made by Takatoriyaki and Koishiwarayaki which is thin and light like porcelain.

Phu Lan Village is known as a “pottery village,”' but in recent years, priority has been given to the mass production of large pottery such as water jars. This lead to an excessive production and lowering of prices. The income of potters in the village is low compared to other areas. Resource depletion and environmental destruction are also serious issues.

On the other hand, in the Vietnamese market, there is a demand trend for excellent services using high-quality, high-value-added tableware.

In light of this situation, starting from August 2021, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Toho Village of Fukuoka Prefecture, and Onimaru Setsuzan Kamamoto Co., Ltd. had been working on JICA Partnership Program of “Project for Improvement in the Livelihood of Pottery Producers in Phu Lang Village, Que Vo District, Bac Ninh Province.” This training was held as part of this project.

Mr. Onimaru Hekizan of Onimaru Setsuzan Kamamoto Co., Ltd. not only have been preserving tradition but has produced potteries that have been highly praised and popular all over the world. He has welcomed the trainees to teach his techniques and showed his own potteries. He enthusiastically taught by commenting, “I hope that I can contribute to the development of their region by helping the trainees being able to produce high-quality pottery in the same way in their own country.”

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On February 21st, Hideki Sanada, head of Toho Village, visited to give encouragement, and on the 27th, Consul General Vu Chi Mai of the Consulate General of Vietnam in Fukuoka visited to inspect the training and interacted with the trainees. Consul General Mai stated her impression saying, “An important foundation in the relationship between Japan and Vietnam is empathy for traditional culture. Pottery is a similar cultural feature and has a long-standing friendship and attachment to the peoples of both countries. We hope that through the cultural exchange of Vietnamese and Japanese pottery techniques, we will be able to create unique multicultural products and promote the deep cultural relationship between the two countries.”

After returning to Vietnam, the trainees are using the skills they have learned to create potteries and refining their skills to contribute to the development of the region.

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