Rokuro: How a Pot Is Thrown on the Wheel
Rokuro is the technique of using centrifugal force on a turning disc to lift clay into the form of a piece.
It is the most widely used method in Japanese ceramics and the emblematic image of pottery making. It can make thin, light, evenly balanced forms — while never escaping the circle.
Alongside tebineri, which forms by hand without a wheel, and tatara-zukuri, which assembles slabs, it is one of the basic forming techniques.
Three kinds of wheel
- Te-rokuro (hand wheel) A simple tool turned by hand, the form shaped while the momentum lasts. It is used together with hand building.
- Ke-rokuro (kick wheel) A large flywheel below, turned by the toe. It is still treasured in traditional wood-firing regions such as Bizen and Karatsu. Its speed is not constant, and that fluctuation appears in the piece.
- Electric wheel Held at a constant speed by a motor. The most common in ceramics today.
Throwing rings, a record of the hand
Concentric ridges remain inside a thrown piece. They are called rokurome, throwing rings.
Run a finger along them and the speed and pressure with which the maker lifted the clay come straight to your fingertip. Lifted quickly, the intervals are wide; slowly, they are fine. A maker who pushes hard leaves deep rings; a delicate maker leaves shallow ones.
Stroke the inside of a piece you have bought. If there is a spiral, that is proof it was thrown. Read it together with the trimming marks left after cutting the foot ring (kodai) and you can tell a great deal about how the piece was made.
What the wheel changed
| Aspect | Before the wheel (hand building, coiling) | Wheel throwing |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Each piece takes time | Hundreds of the same form, quickly |
| Thickness | Varies from place to place | Can be made extremely thin and even |
| Form | Oval, angular, asymmetrical — all free | Limited to the circle |
| Expression | Fingermarks remain | Concentric throwing rings remain |
The arrival of the wheel let a kiln industry flower across Japan. Neither the refined porcelain of Arita ware nor the composed tea bowls prized in tea would exist without this tool.
Related terms and guides
Related terms
- Tebineri: Hand-Building Pottery Without a Wheel
- Tatara-zukuri: Building Pottery from Clay Slabs
- Ara-neri: The Rough Wedging That Comes First
- Kodai (Foot Ring): The Part Collectors Check First
- Suyaki (Bisque Firing): What Happens in the First Fire
- Japanese Pottery Glossary | Terms, Techniques & Kilns
Read further
- How Japanese Pottery Is Shaped: Five Forming Methods
- Raku Ware: The Hand-Formed Tea Bowl, 15 Generations On
- Arita Ware: Japan's First Porcelain, 400 Years On
- Japanese Pottery Sizes: Sun-to-Centimetre Conversion
Trace the throwing rings
The concentric ridges inside are the very speed at which the maker lifted the clay. Nokaze introduces pottery together with the background of its makers.
Browse new arrivalsFAQ
What kind of tool is the rokuro used in ceramics?
What was the wheel's greatest influence on Japanese ceramic culture?
How can I tell whether a piece was thrown?
Shop the related pieces
New to Japanese pottery? Start here — its history, how pottery differs from porcelain, the clays and glazes behind each style, and how to care for a piece. → Japanese Pottery: The Complete Guide