Motoshige has developed a beautiful line-up over time, made by their skilled artisans. As the groves on the inside of the bowls are hand crafted, the quality is incomparable with mass-produced items.
The MOTOSHIGE Family Business
Iwami Yaki is a pottery craft from the Shimane prefecture; this pottery is baked at 1250~1300 degrees and is very robust. It is hard, has low water absorbency and is resistant to salt, acid, and alkali, which makes very versatile and strong kitchenware and tools, also suitable for e.g. pickling and allowing for beautiful colors and finishing. Founded in 1925, Motoshige has positioned themselves as the leading suribachi craftsmen in Japan, despite working by hand and with a small team of craftsmen. Focusing their attention on excellent suribachi, they not only craft high quality traditional mortars and pestles, but also innovated their line up with new, convenient designs, so that these traditional tools can be used by a wider audience.
Motoshige's items are characterized by stepless and easy-to-grind "eyes", as well as high quality at affordable prices. They have a wide range of products from small, up to a diameter of 55 cm to suit both hobby- and professional cheffs. The company is now led by the third generation of the family and their motto is to create items with ease of use and good quality for their customers.
MOTOSHIGE Values
SAFETY
As the suribachi touch the food that we consume, the company is extremely committed to the safety of their products. The clays are sourced from good sources in the shimane, Gifu and Tajimi regions – famous for Mino ware pottery. The glaze, coloring and coatings do not contain lead or other harmful ingredients.
PERFECTION
The rough “kushi no me” pattern on the inside of the pot is essential for the flavor of the final product. The size and positioning and therefore of the utmost importance and experienced craftsmen create them one-by-one by hand – as opposed to many modern businesses that use machinery for this.
VALUE
By focusing on a simple, carefully selected line up, they have been able to reduce production costs and offer a lower price for their high-quality items, ensuring great value for their customers. Depending on usage and care, the suribachi can be used for many years.
Production Process
To make one suribachi, an experienced craftsman goes through approximately 9 steps!
1. Dissolve the raw material in water, stir well and filter to remove impurities. Form clay.
2. Put clay in a plaster mold and mold it with a potter's wheel to make it into a grinder bowl shape. Carefully craft one by one with a special comb.
3. Remove from mold when half-dried and shape it by rounding the edges.
4. Shelf and let dry for about 2 weeks. The product created in this way is called the base material (shiraji).
5. Glaze - Apply thin, white protective layer on inside to block any dirt. Coat outside.
6. Kiln - The glaze dries quickly, so stack it up and put it in the kiln within the same day.
7. Bake for about 24 hours, cool for 24-48 hours, and then remove from the kiln.
8. Silicone rubber – Once completely dried, the rubber can be attached.
9. Pack and prepare for safe shipping, strictly sorting to make sure no defective or imperfect products leave the workshop.
