Somayaki Ware: Pottery decorated with horse illustrations

By nokazeGlobal

Published 2026.07.28

Updated 2026.07.28

A delicate crazing pattern tinged with blue, and a striking painting of a horse. Even among Japanese pottery, it is distinctive — catching the eye at a single glance. That is Somayaki ware.

Somayaki is a pottery with a mysterious appeal not only in its visual beauty, but in something you notice only when you touch it. A Somayaki tea cup has a curious structure, and in its function, too, it has a unique feature: a “double-walled firing (nijū-yaki)” that keeps your hand from getting hot.

This time, we introduce the history of Somayaki ware — handed down in Soma and Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture — and its three outstanding features.

What Is Somayaki Ware?

A Pottery Handed Down in Soma and Minamisoma, Fukushima

Somayaki is a pottery made mainly in Soma City and Minamisoma City, on the Pacific coast of Fukushima Prefecture. Its formal name is “Ōbori Sōma ware (Ōbori Sōma-yaki),” and this place name “Ōbori” derives from the name of what was once a cluster of kilns. Today it is designated a national Traditional Craft of Japan, and it is widely known as one of the representative pottery cultures of the Tōhoku region.

The Region’s Geography and Climate

Soma and Minamisoma lie on the eastern side of the Abukuma Highlands, in an area facing the Pacific. Inland, mountains run in ranges, and the terrain opens gently toward the sea. This region has large temperature swings in winter, and inland it is not unusual for days to drop below freezing.

This severe cold is an important element in producing Somayaki’s signature design, the “blue-crack crazing.” By cooling the fired pieces in the cold wind, fine cracks form from the difference in the contraction rates of the glaze (uwagusuri) and the clay body (kiji), and a distinctive pattern rises to the surface. The harsh natural environment appears, just as it is, as the very expression of the piece.

As for clay, good-quality pottery clay derived from the Abukuma Highlands is distributed in the surrounding area, and the environment was well suited to making Somayaki. Abundant water and forest resources were also major factors that supported the development of the ceramic industry.

The History of Somayaki Ware

The Edo Period: Beginning as the Kiln of the Soma Domain

The origins of Somayaki go back to the Genroku era (1688–1704), in the mid-Edo period of the 17th century. It is said that, by the command of Sōma Masatane, lord of the Soma domain that then ruled this region, a kiln was opened in the Ōbori district of what is now the Odaka ward of Minamisoma City. At first it aimed at producing everyday wares, and under the domain’s protection it steadily raised its technique and scale of production.

Starting out as a domain kiln, Somayaki actively adopted the domain’s crest, the “Kuyō crest (kuyō-mon),” and the “galloping horse (hashiri-koma)” motif, which was deeply connected to the Soma domain.

The galloping horse depicts wild horses running across the fields without reins — a motif strongly tied to the culture of the Soma domain. The Soma region has long been known as a producer of horses, and the sacred rite and festival called Nomaoi has flourished here. The horse painted on a piece is not mere decoration; it can be said to embody the very spirit of the land called Soma. Nomaoi is a race, over 1,000 years old, in which mounted warriors in armor and helmets charge at full gallop, raising clouds of sand.

Photo provided by: the Soma Nomaoi Executive Committee

Throughout the Edo period, it is said that more than a hundred kilns existed in the Ōbori district, and Somayaki developed as a pottery region distributed widely across Tōhoku.

From the Meiji Era Onward: Spreading as a Folk Kiln

After the abolition of the domains in the Meiji Restoration, Somayaki — having lost the patronage of the Soma domain — began to walk the path of an independent folk kiln. While the domain’s backing was gone, the modernization of distribution networks and seasonal migrant work to various regions spread the name of Somayaki throughout Tōhoku.

In the Meiji and Taishō periods, Somayaki came to be displayed even in the department stores of Tokyo and Sendai, and — influenced by the folk-craft (Mingei) movement — a movement to re-evaluate it as “rustic, practical pottery of Tōhoku” also arose. While protecting their traditional techniques, the artisans devised designs and product lines suited to the tastes of the times, striving to sustain the region.

In the Shōwa period, the region’s cooperative organization was put in place, and — combined with measures to promote traditional-craft regions — Somayaki continued to receive stable acclaim. In 1978, it was certified as a Traditional Craft designated by the Minister of International Trade and Industry (now the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry), and the pride and technique of the region were officially recognized by the nation.

Even today, kilns that continue to protect the tradition of Somayaki are active in the land of Soma and Minamisoma. There are movements in which young successors put down roots in the region, hone their technique, and carry on the tradition. At the same time, there are challenges such as a shortage of successors and the shrinking of the region, and each kiln works to pass on the tradition while taking on its own style and pioneering new sales channels.

The Three Features of Somayaki Ware

Somayaki has three outstanding features that set it apart from the ceramics of other regions. Each carries such important meaning that only when all three come together can it be called “genuine Somayaki.”

Blue-Crack Crazing: a Pattern Born of Fukushima’s Cold Winter

Crazing refers to the fine cracks that run across the surface of a fired piece. Because the glaze and the glassy quality of the clay body have different coefficients of thermal expansion and contraction, a slight discrepancy arises during the cooling process after firing, and fine cracks run across the surface of the glaze.

The feature of Somayaki’s crazing lies in its color. Ordinary crazing often looks whitish, but in Somayaki it shows a distinctive coloring tinged with blue. This is an expression born when the components of the glaze used and the process of cooling slowly in the severe cold of Fukushima’s winter come together. The delicate pattern, like a thin sheet of ice, never fails to surprise those who hold Somayaki for the first time.

As you keep using it, color gradually seeps into the crazing, giving the piece its own “growth.” As the colors of tea and food slowly enter the crazing, it changes into a piece that is yours alone. This is one of the “joys of nurturing” that people who use Somayaki for a long time speak of in unison.

The Galloping-Horse Painting: Symbol of the Soma Domain, the Horse in Motion

Another trademark of Somayaki is the “galloping horse” painting. This motif — a reinless wild horse racing across the earth, drawn with a single brush — derives from the legend of the sacred horses (goshin-me) of the Soma domain.

In the Soma region, the rite of Nomaoi has been held since ancient times, and this valiant festival, in which warriors capture horses released into the fields, still continues every year. The galloping-horse painting expresses this horse culture unique to Soma upon the pottery, and can be said to symbolize the pride and regional identity of the Soma domain.

The painting technique differs by artisan, but what they share is “momentum.” Power dwells in each single stroke, and the movement of the horse’s muscles, the streaming of its mane, and the strength of its hooves are concentrated on the surface of a piece just a few centimeters wide. There is a sense of life there that mass production could never reproduce — one only handwork can give.

Double-Walled Firing (Double-Walled Construction)

Double-walled firing is a mechanism in which the inside and outside of a piece form a double structure. Before firing, the inner piece is fitted into the outer piece, so that the whole becomes a double structure.

Because of this, even when you pour hot tea and hold the tea cup, your hand does not get hot, and it makes a structure that keeps the contents from cooling.

For that reason, Somayaki has excellent cooling and heat-retaining effects: even with something cold inside, condensation is unlikely to form, and it is slow to grow lukewarm.

Behind Somayaki’s long love as an “everyday piece” lies this practicality. Not only beautiful, but the more you use it every day, the more you feel its superior function. That is one of the reasons Somayaki’s double-walled firing has lived on.

The Types of Somayaki Ware

The pieces made in Somayaki are wide-ranging. Among them, we introduce the most representative.

Tea cups (yunomi) and sake cups (guinomi): These are among the pieces where the function of double-walled firing lives best. Even when you pour hot tea, it is gentle on the hand, and with high heat retention it has long been loved as an everyday tea utensil. The combination of the galloping-horse painting and the blue crazing is beautiful, and it is popular as a gift, too.

Rice bowls: The rice bowl for serving rice is also a Somayaki standard. Its moderate weight and warm touch enrich the time of a meal.

Teapots (dobin) and kyusu teapots: The dobin teapot for brewing tea is a piece Somayaki excels at. Its distinctive form and the coloring of its glaze make tea time with a dobin something special.

Flower containers and flower vases: A flower vase where the blue-crack crazing pattern stands out is also popular as an interior piece. It sets off Japanese flowers, of course, and looks beautiful with dried flowers arranged in it as well.

The Great East Japan Earthquake and Somayaki Ware

Artisans Who Protected the Tradition Even While Stricken

On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake and the accident at Tokyo Electric Power’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant violently shook the land of Soma and Minamisoma. Many kilns were included in evacuation zones or suffered building damage, forced into a situation where they had to suspend their work for a time. There were kilns whose accumulated stock of pieces broke, whose kilns were damaged, and whose long relationships with regular customers were cut off.

Many of Somayaki’s artisans were forced into a life of evacuation away from their homeland. Even while holding the wish to protect their kilns and not let the tradition die out, they had to face the real challenges of anxiety over radioactive contamination, rebuilding their lives, and the safety of their families. Even so, many artisans continued to create even in their places of evacuation, and kept their will to rebuild the region.

Over the several years since the disaster, Somayaki’s kilns gradually resumed their activity. Artisans who were able to return to the region repaired their kilns and restarted their work. Movements to seek new sales channels — not only local workshops but exhibitions and sales within and beyond the prefecture, and direct sales using the internet — also grew active.

In the process of recovery, more people took an interest in the pottery of Soma, and people appeared who bought pieces with feelings of support. The artisans firmly received those feelings, and face their making with the strong conviction that protecting the tradition leads to the recovery of the region.

Somayaki Ware Today

The environment surrounding Somayaki today is by no means easy. The scale of the region has shrunk greatly compared with the Edo and Meiji periods, and the number of kilns that continue to work is limited. But in exchange, there is also an aspect in which each kiln’s individuality stands out, and the value of handwork is more easily conveyed.

In today’s Somayaki, in addition to traditional tea cups and dobin teapots, new items suited to modern lifestyles — coffee cups, mugs, and plates — have come to be made. In the galloping-horse painting, too, works that keep the traditional style while arranging it with a contemporary sensibility have appeared.

Also, information sharing and sales using the internet contribute to gaining new customer segments for Somayaki. That pottery fans across the country, and consumers who wish to support Fukushima’s recovery, can now buy Somayaki online holds great meaning for the region’s sustainability.

Furthermore, there are movements in which younger artists and craft fans are taking notice of Somayaki. Its one-of-a-kind technique of double-walled firing, and its strong individuality of galloping horse and crazing, capture the hearts of modern consumers seeking “a piece like no other.” As understanding of traditional crafts deepens, Somayaki is gaining a chance to shine anew in its distinctiveness.

Buying Somayaki Ware

There are several ways to buy Somayaki. The most recommended is to visit Minamisoma City and Soma City in Fukushima Prefecture and buy at a kiln’s direct-sales shop. The experience of choosing a piece while hearing directly from the artisan is also an opportunity to understand the appeal of Somayaki more deeply. Comparing each kiln’s individuality, you can find your own favorite piece.

Also, there are department stores and craft specialty shops in Tōhoku and the metropolitan area that handle Somayaki. If you do not have a chance to travel to the region, it is a good idea to first visit a local department store or craft shop.

In recent years, you can buy Somayaki through each kiln’s website or through EC sites that handle crafts. There are limits to conveying all of its appeal with photos and descriptions alone, but by referring to the reviews of people who have actually bought it, you can choose with peace of mind.

Giving Somayaki Ware as a Gift

Somayaki (Ōbori Sōma ware) also combines auspicious meaning with high practicality, making it an ideal gift for wedding celebrations, housewarmings and shop openings, and celebrations of longevity.

Somayaki’s signature “galloping horse (hidari-uma, the mirror-image horse)” motif is regarded as a symbol of good fortune and business prosperity, because a horse does not fall and because it connects to “mau (to dance).” For that reason, it is greatly welcomed for housewarmings for those who have built a new home, for openings for those starting a business, and for celebrations of promotion.

Its unique “double-walled construction” is also a great appeal. Because it is built so that heat is unlikely to transfer to the hand even when hot water is poured, and it is slow to cool, anyone can use it with confidence in daily life. For this ease of use, it is also very popular as a gift for Respect-for-the-Aged Day and for celebrations of longevity such as the 60th and 70th birthdays, and as a present of gratitude to one’s parents.

Furthermore, because the delicate “blue crack” pattern gains flavor the more it is used, a pair of tea cups or mugs is also perfect for a wedding or wedding anniversary — “to layer time together from here on.”

Combining the dignity of a traditional craft with a warmth that stays close to daily life, Somayaki serves widely as a gift to celebrate the milestones of those dear to you.

Frequently Asked Questions About Somayaki Ware

Q1. What is the difference between Somayaki and “Ōbori Sōma ware”?

They basically refer to the same thing. The formal name is “Ōbori Sōma ware (Ōbori Sōma-yaki),” which is also its registered name as a national Traditional Craft. It derives from the history of a kiln opened in the Edo period in the “Ōbori” district of what is now the Odaka ward of Minamisoma City. Generally it is often called simply “Somayaki,” and in everyday conversation and introductions the two are used as synonyms.

Q2. What are the benefits of “double-walled firing”?

There are mainly three benefits: “heat is unlikely to transfer to the hand,” “high heat-retaining and cooling effects,” and “unlikely to sweat with condensation.” Because it is structured so that a layer of air forms between the outside and inside of the piece, there is no worry of burns even holding a piping-hot tea cup, and even with a cold drink inside, water droplets are unlikely to form on the outside. Beyond its beautiful appearance, it has a superb functional beauty that stays close to daily life.

Q3. Is there any worry that the “blue crack” pattern (crazing) will break while I use it?

The cracks occur only in the surface glaze (uwagusuri) layer, so there is no worry that the strength of the piece itself will drop and it will break. Rather, this blue crazing has the feature that, as you use it, the components of tea and coffee slowly seep in, and the character increases with age. You can enjoy the true delight, unique to pottery, of “nurturing a piece to your own taste.”

Q4. What meaning does the “galloping horse” painted on Somayaki have?

The “galloping horse” is a symbolic motif deriving from the traditional event “Soma Nomaoi,” which has continued for over 1,000 years in the Soma region, and from the sacred horses of the Soma domain. The figure of a horse running powerfully without reins is greatly prized as a good-luck charm for fortune, success in life, and business prosperity, from meanings such as “a horse does not fall” and “there is none to surpass it.”

A Gift from Fukushima, Told by Horse and Crazing

Somayaki holds it all: its distinctive features, the wisdom and technique of artisans continuing from the 17th century, the history and culture of the Soma domain, and the accidental beauty born of a severe natural environment.

The blue-tinged crazing pattern is the breath of the earth that Fukushima’s severe cold carves into the piece. The galloping-horse painting is proof of the several hundred years of history in which the people of Soma have walked together with horses. And the mechanism of double-walled firing is the crystallization of the practical spirit of forebears who sought to give an everyday piece the greatest possible function.

The warmth when you drink a cup of tea from a Somayaki tea cup; the moment you turn your eyes to the picture of a running horse — there, the voices of Fukushima’s artisans quietly resound. Each time you take a piece in hand, try to lend an ear to those voices. That may be the beginning of a true way of keeping company with a piece.

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