Anagama Kiln Firing
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In August of 2005, Master Potter Jason Parsley participated in a four day, three night wood firing of the anagama kiln at Eastern Kentucky University. At left is a rear view of the anagama kiln; below we see the massive amount of wood required for a firing of this duration. All of this wood must be manually fed into a roaring bed of coals to produc a single load of anagama ware, which explains why it is so highly prized by collectors.
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| Through day and night, wood is continuously fed to produce
more coals. Wood doesn't burn hot enough for an anagama wood firing
- it's the coals that provide the real heat! At right, Jason does a
double duty, stirring the coals while adding more fuel to the kiln.
Below, a night view reveals the white-hot coal bed.
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| The wood plays a second crucial role -- as the ash that
flies from the flames, it is deposited on the roof of the kiln. At
well over 2000° F, the ash becomes a liquid, and drips down onto the pottery
below. Adding wood and stirring the coals not only fires the ware,
it produces the breathtaking effects for which anagama firing is
known. Opposite we get an inside view of the pottery as it fires.
Below, Jason Parsley gives the thumbs up.
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Revealing the fired pottery is a moment of great
anticipation.
Having been fired to an ash-glazed perfection over a period of four days, each uniquely glazed piece
of anagama ware is removed
from the kiln. On the left, we see three layers of fired pieces
supported by clay wadding to prevent adhesion to the shelves. Below,
vases are stacked rim-to-rim with wadding between them, an ancient
tradition in space utilization.
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