Central Java

Kasongan: World Class Ceramics in The Jogja Countryside
By Dini Wiradinata, Photos Jan Dekker
If you've spent any time at all in Indonesia, you've probably seen earthy, well built pots and ceramics in high-class furniture stores, or at large exhibitions. There may even be one in the corner of an up-market restaurant, or in your room in a five-star hotel. Earthy and attractive they certainly are, but where do they come from?
More likely than not, they come from Kasongan, a small village in the Bantul district, around 10 km from Jogjakarta. This village is the largest ceramics production center in Jogjakarta, if not Indonesia, and it's a shopper's paradise for those looking for high-quality crafts at almost ridiculously low prices. Here, the slogan "mall goods, sidewalk prices" rules.
Kasongan is easy to find: just ask almost anyone in Jogja for "Kasongan Road," and they'll point the way. However, taking public transport out there can be a major hassle. It's easier and more comfortable to go by private car or taxi, particularly if you are planning on bringing your purchases back with you. Or, you can rent a bicycle and ride through the rustic Jogja countryside, enjoying the gentle breezes and the Javanese countryside at its best.
When you arrive in Kasongan, you'll find a street filled with shops of all sizes, offering ceramics of all shapes, colors, and designs. Using traditional methods to produce, Kasongan's handicrafts are eagerly sought the world over. Pak Mujiran, owner of one simple workshop, boasts of the large number of his foreign clients. "We get lots of orders from abroad – Holland, Australia, Taiwan and even Africa," says Pak Mujiran.
Large orders come from within the country as well. Pak Tukiman, a Kasongan ceramics craftsman, says: "The big domestic orders usually come from Bali." However, the quality of the products here is a well kept secret - you will never find a "Kasongan" label on these high-quality products. Craftsmen never put their own "trademarks" on their products, and whether the retailer is honest about the origins of his goods depends largely on his own integrity.
In up-market shopping centers and high-class furniture boutiques, Kasongan ceramics are sold at prices that make you wince. In Kasongan, by contrast, prices are almost ridiculously cheap. You can take home a vase as tall as a small child for only Rp 50,000, or an attractive mirror for only Rp 45,000. Small ceramic items can also be found in all kinds of unique and interesting shapes representing horses, elephants, even Javanese women, for around Rp 10,000. Kasongan has other sorts of handicrafts on offer as well, such as sandals of woven pandan leaves for Rp 12,500, wooden ballpoint pens with Javanese dolls on the end for only Rp 1,000, and carved-wood imitation flowers, also for only Rp 1,000.
If you buy large quantities, shop owners will be happy to give you very attractive discounts. Most stalls have pretty much the same prices, but there's nothing wrong with checking out the prices of the goods in various shops. And feel free to ask for a reduction; who knows, depending on your bargaining skills, you might get a cheaper price.
Although the goods on offer tend to be much the same from stall to stall, some stalls specialize, and if you look around you can find unique items not found in the other shops. You can also have ceramics made to your own specifications.
And if you can't fit everything into your shopping bag, don't worry – the merchants of Kasongan can ship your purchases straight to your door. There is, of course, a fee for this, but even the shipping costs are low.
Apart from being a great place to shop, Kasongan is an interesting place to visit in its own right, providing deep insights into the way crafts are produced in rural Java. Behind every shop, you will find a traditional ceramics workshop, where the craftspeople will greet you with traditional Javanese hospitality. Here you can watch how the ceramics are made. The process starts with rolling out clay and mixing it with soft river sand. The clay is then shaped into the desired form. This shaping can be done either by using a potting wheel or with molds. (Molds are generally used only for large orders, when uniform size and shape is required.) Once the pots are shaped, they are dried in the sun. This is the longest stage in the process; if the weather is fair, the ceramics need to be sun-dried for around a day. When dry, the ceramics are ready to be fired. After the firing process, most Kasongan ceramics are left in their original color, although some are painted