歷經興衰的焠鍊，一步一步的傳承下來
水里蛇窯是台灣現存最古老、最具傳統代表性的柴燒窯，也是努力傳承與發展台灣最具代表性之南投燒技藝的窯場。這經歷近百年的場域，讓台灣這塊美麗的土地充滿更多草根人物的傳奇與感人的故事。
水里蛇窯第一代窯主-林江松
水里蛇窯成立於民國十六年，由南投製陶師傅林江松(第一代窯主)，鑑於水里當地為木材的集散地，燃料豐 富且陶土質佳，這些因素讓他決定舉家來到這裡成為當地第二戶的人家，也是最早到水里砌築窯爐的陶瓷工作者。由於第一戶人家是當地的大地主，剛開始頂崁還是尚未開發的荒地，因此地主希望藉由製陶師取土的需要來共同整地，把荒地整理成為可農耕的良田。
起初，窯場經營的狀況並非沒有遇到困難，在製作技術上經常遭遇到失敗的窘境，但這也激起窯主的研究精神，從失敗中記取教訓。由於他的努力，使得製陶技術得以成長，為水里成為陶藝之鄉的奠基者。
水里蛇窯第二代窯主-林木倉
第二代窯主林木倉(甕仔伯)，十三歲開始學做陶器，在窯場中耳濡目染與用心學習之下，十九歲就成為能獨當一面的製陶師傅了，並延續了第一代的精神將水里蛇窯傳承下去。此時期是市場需求最旺盛、也是水里蛇窯陶器最風光的時期，最具代表性的產品為水缸、陶瓷日用品，也製作過當時抗戰需要的「防空缸」。由於這裡出產的陶器品質良好，口碑甚佳，幾乎每隔三至五天就可以出一次窯，也讓「搶窯」的文化在這裡衍生出來。「搶窯」為剛開窯時就冒著危險率先進窯取出成品，此時窯溫還高達兩百度以上的高溫，因此窯工須穿著布袋裝作為防護，這搶窯的文化也讓當地發生的許多的趣事，其中當地婦女還用此燙頭髮，可見當時蛇窯與地方生活的聯結是密不可分的。
水里蛇窯第三代窯主-林國隆
但是約民國六、七十年左右，傳統窯場的價值受到了塑膠等工業製品的取代，此危機讓水里蛇窯逐漸成為夕陽產業。「需要我回來繼承祖業嗎？」身為家中獨子，在外地求學的第三代窯主林國隆，在高中即將畢業時這樣詢問父親。而父親僅說了一句︰「雖然傳統燒窯的行業已經是夕陽產業，但這是祖先留下來的，我們有責任維護它。」就此林國隆便知曉傳承家族事業是父親的心願。
面對父親口中的「夕陽產業」，林國隆思索著拯救這個家族事業的方法。最終，他決定先充實自己的知識與能力，報考了聯合工專陶瓷玻璃工程科。第一天到學校報到時，他便告訴後來影響他至深的陳煥堂老師︰「這科系是我的第一志願，也是唯一志願，因為我家裡工廠快倒了。」這番話，讓林國隆得到這位恩師的關注與幫助。在求學與業界實習之餘，他思考著水里蛇窯生存的價值所在時，發現蛇窯除了具有生產傳統陶瓷的能力之外，最珍貴的價值莫過於「文化」與「歷史」。
因此於1983年接掌水里蛇窯時就有了明確的方向，秉持著「文化是有價值的，並且值得被保護」的理念開始執行歷經十年的老窯場改革計劃。這場革命將水里蛇窯具文化價值的部份進行產業化的包裝，並且賦予教育性。此舉讓水里蛇窯從生產陶瓷，轉型成為讓民眾學習歷史與傳統文化之文化創意產業。
於1993年11月12日，中華文化復興節這一天，水里蛇窯打破了工廠技術隱私的限制正式對外開放參觀，成為國內第一座觀光工廠「水里蛇窯陶藝文化園區」。以此守住水里蛇窯歷史命脈至今，也讓更多人有機會學習和認識充滿歷史與藝術價值的傳統陶瓷文化。同時，林國隆也不忘水里蛇窯製造傳統陶製品的本質，以設計創新加值陶藝產品打造自有品牌，將陶藝的美感帶進生活，讓現代人也能感受傳統窯燒的陶瓷文化與美學。
水里蛇窯第四代
為一群有夢想的孩子，並對傳統文化充滿著滿腔熱血的一群人，在水里蛇窯這塊土地上持續創造出更多的傳奇故事。
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Shuili Snake Kiln
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Tempered by rises and falls, the Snake Kiln endures
Shuili Snake Kiln is Taiwan’s oldest, most traditional extant wood-burning kiln. This kiln operation, representative of kiln arts in Nantou, works hard to endure and grow. This century-old area lends more local legends and inspiring tales to the beautiful land of Taiwan.
Lin Jiangsong: Shuili Snake Kiln’s first-generation owner
Shuili Snake Kiln was founded in 1927 by Lin Jiangsong, a master potter from Nantou. Shuili, a wood distribution center at the time, was a rich source of fuel and boasted fine quality clay, factors that drew Lin and his family here to become the second family in the area, as well as the earliest ceramics worker to build a brick kiln in Shuili. Since the first family in the area was that of a major local landholder, at first the village of Dingkan was an undeveloped wasteland; thus the landowner was willing to share the land with the potter so he could remove clay and turn the wasteland into arable land.
Running the kiln yard was not without problems. The kiln owner often saw failure in production, but this only kindled his drive to gain more knowledge, learning from failure. Through hard work, his pottery making skills grew, paving the way for making Shuili into a pottery town.
Lin Mucang: Shuili Snake Kiln’s second-generation owner
Second generation kiln owner Lin Mucang was just 13 when he started to learn about pottery. Growing up around the kiln yard, he diligently learned the art, and by 19 he was a master potter able to work independently. He carried on the spirit of the first generation, working to pass the Shuili Snake Kiln on to the next generation. This period was when market demand was at its peak; it was the golden age of Shuili Snake Kiln earthenware. Typical products included water vats and ceramic crockery; he also made “air defense vats” for concealing personnel during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Word of mouth spread due to the fine quality of pottery produced here. Every three to five days he could carry out a firing cycle, allowing the “kiln rushing” culture here to develop. “Kiln rushing” is when someone dashes into a newly opened kiln to remove finished pottery, into a blast of air at temperatures of over 200 ºC. The kiln workers had to wear protective clothing for this. This kiln rushing culture led to many interesting phenomena in the area; one was local women doing it to curl their hair. Clearly, the snake kiln had an inseparable connection to local life back then.
Lin Guolong: third-generation kiln owner
In the 1970s and 1980s, the traditional kiln yard’s profitability was hit by the growing plastic goods industry, a crisis that led to the Shuili Snake Kiln’s gradual decline. “Do you need me to come back and take over the family business?” asked Lin Guolong, the sole heir of the enterprise, of his father Lin Mucang as high school graduation approached. His father said just one thing: “The traditional kiln business may be a dying industry, but it’s a legacy of our ancestors and we have a duty to keep it going.” At that, Lin Guolong truly learned how much the family business meant to his father.
Faced with his father’s words about a “dying industry,” Lin Guolong thought long and hard about how to save the family business. In the end, he decided to first strengthen his knowledge and skills by studying ceramics at Lien Ho Junior College of Technology. The first day of school, he told Chen Huantang, an instructor who would deeply influence him in the future, “This subject is my one and only aspiration, because my family’s business is about to collapse.” These words drew the concern and help of his mentor. Outside of his studies and internships, Lin thought about the value of the Shuili Snake Kiln’s continuing existence, and found that its most precious value besides its capacity to produce traditional ceramics is nothing more than its culture and history.
In 1983, when he took over the Shuili Snake Kiln, Lin had a clear direction. Abiding by his notion that culture has value and is worth protecting, he launched a ten-year plan to reform the old kiln yard. In this effort, he repackaged the cultural value aspect of the Snake Kiln’s production and made it educational. This move changed the Snake Kiln from a ceramics manufacturer into a cultural and creative industry in which visitors can learn about history and traditional culture.
On November 12, 1993, at the Chinese Cultural Renaissance Festival, Shuili Snake Kiln dropped restrictions on its manufacturing technology secrets and opened the kiln to the public, and Taiwan’s first tourist factory, Shuili Snake Kiln Ceramics Cultural Park, was founded. This has sustained the kiln to this day, giving more people the chance to learn about a traditional ceramics culture full of historical and artistic value. At the same time, Lin Guolong hasn’t forgotten the Snake Kiln’s roots in traditional pottery making: innovative designs add value to his ceramic products, building his own brand, bringing the beauty of pottery to life, and allowing modern people to experience the culture and beauty of the traditional kiln.
Shuili Snake Kiln’s fourth generation
For kids filled with dreams and for people avid for traditional culture, Shuili Snake Kiln continues to create fabulous tales.
南投縣 水里鄉
18
718
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886-49-2770967
snake@snakekiln.com.tw
886-49-2775491
頂崁村水信路一段512巷21號
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更新日期：11/21/2020 9:23:06 PM