Nagasawa Kawara-shoten · Shizuoka
Onigawara Roof-Tile Workshop with a Master Onishi, Shizuoka
Make a guardian for a roof.
Book Your Onishi WorkshopOver two days you work through earth, wind and fire with an onishi — one of the last makers of the guardian tiles that sit on the ridge of a Japanese roof. It reaches your home about a month later, after the kiln.
- Place
- Nagasawa Kawara-shoten
- Duration
- Over two days
- Group
- 2–6 guests
- Price
- On request
The face on the roof was always made by hand.
An onigawara is the tile at the end of a ridge, made to turn away what should not enter the house. It is the one part of a traditional roof that is not repeated — each one is cut by a person. The trade has a name of its own: onishi.
This workshop is the only one in Shizuoka City with a kiln that can fire roof tiles — a custom gas kiln at 1,100°C, no glaze, the silver-grey coming from carbonisation alone. The clay comes from the Tomoe river.
You begin with the history, told through hand-drawn boards, and then the clay. Three stages — earth, wind, fire — spread over two days, because the clay has to rest between them and so does the hand.
What you leave with
Not on the day. That is the point.
A guardian tile with your own face on it
Fired in the workshop kiln, unglazed, and posted to your home about a month later — as your own work, with a stand to display it on.
Two days of a trade almost no one sees
Roof tiles are ordered by builders, not visitors. There is no tourist version of this.
An understanding of why old roofs look like that
After this, the ridge of every temple you pass reads differently.
Two days, three stages
Earth, wind, fire. The clay decides the pace.
Day 1 · Earth
Learn the road, then take up the clay
About an hour. The history of the tile, the river the clay comes from, and what the face is for. Then the clay is opened.
Day 1 · Wind
Cut the face
About two hours. Shaping with a wooden blade. The features are cut, not moulded — this is where it becomes yours.
Day 2 · Fire
Finish, and hand it to the kiln
About three hours. Refining, smoothing, and the final detail before it is set aside to dry.
After
The kiln, and the month that follows
Drying and firing take roughly a month. KAIDO collects the finished piece, packs it for international transit, and sends it to you.
Arrival
It appears at your door
Declared as your own work, with the display stand.
Interpretation is provided by KAIDO on both days. Some of the workshop's own material exists in English.
Practical
Included
- Two days in the workshop with the maker
- Clay, tools, and firing in the workshop kiln
- A display stand, made for KAIDO guests
- International shipping, packed by us
- Interpretation between Japanese and English
Good to know
- You cannot take the piece home with you. Firing takes about a month.
- Clay and kiln work carries risk: pieces occasionally crack or blister in the firing. We will tell you before you start, and we will talk to you if it happens.
- Clothes will get clay on them. Nothing you mind.
- Dates are set by asking the workshop each time — this is a working tile business, not a visitor centre.
Getting there
The workshop is in Shizuoka City, inland from the old Tōkaidō. We arrange the transport as part of the booking.
Because it runs over two days, most guests stay in one of the KAIDO houses between them.
Questions we are asked
- How much is it?
- We quote for each request. The firing, the two days of the maker's time and international shipping all depend on how many of you there are and where the piece is going. Send a request and we will answer with a price.
- Can it be done in one day?
- Not properly. The clay has to rest, and so does your hand. The two-day shape is the workshop's own.
- What if it breaks in the kiln?
- It happens occasionally. We will contact you and agree what to do — there is no version of this where we quietly send something else.
- How big is it, and how heavy?
- It varies with what you make. We confirm the weight before shipping, which is part of why the price is quoted per request.
Send a request
Tell us when you could come for two days, how many of you there are, and where the finished piece should be sent. We will ask the workshop and answer with a price.
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