Hama

Amakusa produced porcelain felt softer but had more structure than the U.S. West Coast-produced porcelain I normally use. It was challenging at first, but I managed to make “HAMA” (In the U.S., it is called “COOKIE” because of their shape). In the U.S., we hand-build Cookies by rolling clay out to a slab like cookie dough, but here we throw each “HAMA” with only one hand. Several steps of “HAMA” throwing include all the finger and hand movements used for throwing other things later. In other words, mastering “HAMA” making is the beginning of being a good potter. I was fascinated by it. Later, I learned that “HAMA” is only used for porcelain to protect it from warping while firing, and COOKIE” or “SENBEI (in Japanese)” are more for protecting the kiln shelves from the glaze dripping on them.