Pagerjuang is located in Klaten, Central Java, Indonesia and it is popular for its pottery. Jugs, urns, bowl, water vessels can be found lining on the streets.The women style is very unique here. Their sarong folded across outstretched legs. One foot attached to a pulley driving the wheels, and then the spinning clay mound on teak wood where they pull various shapes of pottery, wheel rests at 45 degres angle to the ground.
This kind of method is known as angled spin (putaran miring), and known by women in Pagerjuang since 14th century, according to locals. In general women is Java wear sarongs. that this angled pottery wheel was developed as it is more polite than having wheel between a woman’s legs and they feel that the wheel with that angle creates harmony.
Women in Pagerjuang usually start to create pots since they were young girls. The most difficult part of pottery is to center the clay on the angle. According to locals, Pagerjuang clay has been harvested for 700 years. A huge pot was brought here by Sunan Pandanaran. There is no history record about this history but locals said that when Sunan Pandanaran arrived, local people have made pottery. This pottery skill is handed down from mother to daughter and the angled spin potters’ skill are now being enhanced. Younger generation have course at ceramics foundation in Malang to learn how to make more artistic pottery shapes. In the older time, people only made Kendi, water pot, or urns.
The maximum clay to throw up is 30 cm and any larger and the weight of the angled clay causes collapse. Only women here that make pottery as in its history. The angled wheel was designed for women wearing sarongs. No one knows when this potter’s wheel was designed, local people think that probably this was since the 14th century.
In 2006, when quake hit, 80 % of the pottery was collapsed and Australia and Japan govt came for reconstruction project for Pagerjuang Pottery.