Dorakugama (土楽窯) is a kiln in Marubashira, a village in Iga, Mie Prefecture, where pottery has been made since the Nara period. The same family has run it for eight generations since the Edo period, and today it is carried on by the seventh master, Masatake Fukumori, and the eighth generation.

Its pots are made from fire-resistant Iga clay that comes from the ancient bed of Lake Biwa. Each one is kneaded, thrown, glazed and fired by hand, and made to be cooked in over an open flame, then carried straight to the table.

For us, a Doraku donabe is exactly the kind of object worth bringing home: one that earns its place through use. It goes from flame to table, gathers everyone around a single pot, and grows more familiar with every meal it cooks.