The clayman in this picture is removing red clay from a settling basin onto drying boards at the clay processing facility in Kitagoya, Mashiko. Most of the work here is done by hand, and the the volume of clay output is very small compared to that of the Mashiko Potters Cooperative, where preparation is almost completely mechanized.

There are very few places in the world where clays of one variety or another cannot be found. The clay mined in the locality of Mashiko, despite its less than perfect workability in the forming and firing stages, has proven to be adequate for production of the simple kitchen and table wares for which this town is well known.

Mashiko's clay is still available in abundance, but the high demand for it puts strains on efforts to maintain quality control. In earlier days workmen removed clay from the strata using hand tools, allowing them to choose between the best material and that of lesser quality.

Today, because there are so many potters in Mashiko, power tools extract it more quickly, to insure that availability will not fall short of demand.

Obviously, however, the supply of Mashiko clay is not infinite! Presently there are more than five hundred kilns in this area. It's certain that in the future, Mashiko potters will increasingly have to rely on outside sources of clay and other ceramic materials.

In the processing of Mashiko clay, stones and organic impurities are removed at the Potters' Cooperative, and other materials are mixed with it to improve plasticity and structural strength.