Maho No Oka is a Japanese phrase that translates to “Magical Hill.” Not too long ago, I was having dinner at a neighbor’s house, and they referred to the hill we live on as being full of magic. The house and studio sit about 75 feet up a logging road. The “magic” they were referring to is the abundance of wild mushrooms available for foraging throughout the year. They also mentioned that the walk up the hill from the Naselle River works magic on your body, helping to keep you in good mental and physical shape.
Now that the kiln is there, a whole different type of magic is happening through the ceramic wood-firing process. I had been thinking about the term “Maho No Oka” for quite some time, and I finally decided to name the kiln after it. Thank you to Rex and Keiko for the inspiration!
Kiln Name: The Maho No Oka Kiln
Kiln Type: Hybrid cross-draft/anagama kiln
Kiln Design: The “Manabigama Kiln” was designed by John Thies, Bill van Gilder, and Stan Burgess
Kiln Completion: 01/02/2024
Test Firing Date: 2/16/2024 – 2/17/2024
Inaugural Firing Date: 5/10/2024 – 5/11/2024
Refractory Materials supplied by Larkin Refractory Solutions. Lithonia, Georgia
Foundation by Johnson and Sons Excavating
Concrete Pad by Johnson Homes
Pavilion by Mad Framing Plus, LLC
Kiln Construction by Randy McClelland and Colin Meston
Steel Bracing by Greg Gentry