Japanese craft used and not just to be displayed and thus, the border between craft and art was not always very clear. Crafts were needed by all strata of society and became increasingly sophisticated in their design and execution. Craft had close ties to folk art, but developed into fine art as well as the concept of "wabi-sabi" aesthetics. Craftsmen and women therefore became artisans with increasing sophistication. However wares were not just produced for domestic consumption, but at some point items such as ceramics made by studio craft were produced for export and became an important pillar of the economy. Family
Saggar were expected to last for about 40 firings; each potbank made their own in a saggar making workshop. Saggars were made from fireclay, by a "saggar maker" and two assistants: the "framemaker" and the "bottom knocker". The framemaker beat the clay into a sheet on a metal table using a large mallet, the "mow" or "mawl". Using a "frame" he would cut it to size, sprinkle it with "sawdust" and wrap it round a wooden block to make the walls. The framemaker was usually an apprentice in his late teens. The bottom knocker, usually a boy in his early teens,