Number by catalogue:  Michel: 4813   Yvert: 4644   Gibbons: 3987  

Perforation type: 13x13

Subject:

80 yen

A traditional ceramic water mill in Onta village, Oita Prefecture.

Additional:

Oita (Jap. 大分 県 O: ita-ken) is a prefecture located in the Kyushu region on the island of Kyushu. The prefecture includes Hita (日 田 市, Hitashi), an agricultural and industrial center that mainly produces lumber, furniture and ceramics. There is the village of Onta, famous for its ceramics and the original method of grinding clay.

Clay ore is placed in round stone containers, through which wooden stupas are beaten at low intervals.

Stupas, in turn, are mounted in wooden beams, which at the opposite end resemble giant spoons. Water is spilled into these spoons through a channel from a river or stream. Filling them, the water tilts the timber with its weight, the water spills and the timber returns upward, again filling with water. This movement gradually crushes the clay to the smallest components, which are subsequently used to knead the future ceramic material.

Work of this wheelless water mill can be seen on this YouTube video.

Topics: Watermills