Pottery: exploring Japanese hand building ‘Tebineri’

About this course

The course introduces Japanese hand-building approaches through demonstrations, written and verbal guidance, handouts, and a combination of group and individual teaching. Participants will make a tea bowl and tea cup with foot rings, organic-shaped dishes without moulds, and small boxes formed by hollowing clay. Techniques include spiral wedging (Kikuneri), pinching (Tama-tsukuri), slab building (Tatara-tsukuri) and Kurinuki. The course also covers working with clay at different stages of leather hardness and applying Hakeme or Kohiki slip decoration with Japanese brushes.

What you'll learn

• Apply the Kikuneri spiral wedging method.
• Form tea bowls and tea cups with foot rings using Tama-tsukuri pinching.
• Create slabs from a hump of clay and use Tatara-tsukuri to make dishes without moulds.
• Construct small boxes by hollowing clay using the Kurinuki technique.
• Work with clay at suitable leather-hard stages when shaping objects.
• Apply simple spontaneous slip decoration using Japanese brushes.

Is this course right for you?

The course is listed for beginners and intermediate learners. Teaching combines demonstrations and instructions with group and individual guidance. Learners should be able to follow written and verbal information, use numbers for simple calculations, complete health and safety inductions, and take part in self-reflection and group discussion.

• Suitable for learners working at either beginner or intermediate level.
• Requires the ability to follow written and verbal instructions and carry out simple calculations.
• Includes self-review and group discussion as part of the learning process.

Before you go

• Closed shoes are required; open-toed sandals are not suitable.
• Departmental tools are available for use, although learners may choose to buy their own tools following tutor advice.
• Finished work will be left for biscuit firing.
• Learners with a pacemaker or internal defibrillator should contact the Ceramics Department before enrolling, as potter's wheels in use may pose a safety risk.