A pottery wheel, one of the tools used in the molding of ceramics. It is mainly used in the Kyushu region, and is also used in Okinawa. In the regions east of Kyoto, it is generally called “potter’s wheel,” but there are some regions, such as Shigaraki, where it is called “wheel. In the Kyushu region, the potter’s wheel used for molding is a foot-operated kick wheel, which is simply called a wheel, while a small manual wheel, or a hand-powered wheel in the eastern region is called a suji wheel. The reason is that it is used for drawing lines on the wheel. The material used for these wheels is generally zelkova wood, and chair wood is used for the shaft.
(Shinichi Terauchi)
