Directly translated, anagama means, "hole kiln".  An anagama is typically a single chambered, hillside-climbing kiln fired by wood.  The design of the anagama originated in East Asia in the 8th century.  Pieces fired in an anagama are characterized by an organic, naturalistic surface quality resulting from the fire and fly ash deposits produced by the wood fuel source.  The design of my kiln was developed through research in Japan and the USA.  Michio Furutani's book on anagama construction was an invaluable resource.  An average firing in this kiln takes five days.

Anagama firing at night