Stoneware

Japanese: 炻器 - せっき

A type of pottery made by kneading and shaping clay and powdered minerals, then firing them hard. Unlike porous earthenware, the base material is dense and has almost no water absorption, and has properties similar to porcelain, but unlike porcelain, it is almost translucent. It is stronger than earthenware, and since it uses clay with greater plasticity than that used for porcelain, it is easier to shape, and the firing temperature is not as high as that of porcelain, so it is easier to manufacture than porcelain and larger vessels can be made. For this reason, in addition to tableware and other vessels, it is also used for braziers, ceramic pipes for civil engineering, industrial vessels, etc. Some types are glazed and some are not. Some types of Bizen ware and Shigaraki ware are classified as stoneware. ◇It has been used as a translation of the English word "stoneware" since around 1907. In 1950, the American Ceramic Association defined stoneware as "fired at 1150-1300°C with or without glaze, with a hard, molten body and a water absorption rate of 0-10%." However, this definition does not fit with the classification of Oriental pottery, and does not necessarily match the range indicated by the Japanese term "stoneware." In Japan, the definition is not as strict. Wedgwood's "Jasperware" is well known in the West. -> Porcelain, earthenware

Source: Kodansha Dictionary of Tableware and Cookware Information

Japanese:

土や粉末状の鉱物を練って成形し、かたく焼き締めて作った焼き物。素地(きじ)は、多孔質の陶器とは異なり緻密で吸水性もほとんどなく、磁器に近い性質を持つが、磁器とは異なり透光性はほとんどない。陶器よりも強度があり、磁器に用いるものよりも可塑性の大きな粘土を用いるので成形しやすく、また焼成温度も磁器ほど高温ではないので、磁器よりも製造が容易で、大きな器物も作れる。このため、食器などのうつわ類のほか、火鉢、土木用の陶管、工業用の器物などにも用いる。釉薬は、施すものと施さないものがある。備前焼、信楽(しがらき)焼などの中に、炻器に分類されるものがある。◇英語の「stoneware」の訳語として明治40年頃より用いられた。stonewareは1950年にアメリカ窯業協会が「釉薬の有無を問わず1150～1300℃で焼成して、素地はかたく溶化し、吸水量は0～10％のもの」と規定しているが、この規定は東洋の焼き物の分類にはそぐわない面があり、日本語の「炻器」の示す範囲とは、必ずしも一致しない。また、日本では、これほど厳密に定義されていない。欧米圏のものとしては、ウエッジウッドの「ジャスパーウエア」がよく知られる。⇒磁器、陶器

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