All about Tourism, Travel Tips, and Education

"KASONGAN"

TOURIST DESTINATION

Handmade Claycraft

Kasongan, Bantul, Yogyakarta INDONESIA

Tourism Village

Tourism village is a form of integration between attractions, accommodation and supporting facilities that are presented in a structure of community life that is integrated with prevailing procedures and traditions. Tourist villages usually tend to be rural areas that have distinctiveness and attractiveness as a tourist destination.

History of Kasongan Village

The history of Kasongan tourist village originated from the death of a horse owned by a Dutch detective on a rice field owned by a resident in a village south of the city of Yogyakarta. Because the landowner was afraid that he would be sentenced by the Dutch who were currently colonizing, the landowner gave up the ownership rights of the land which was followed by other residents who were also afraid of being sentenced. A number of paddy fields were finally recognized by other villagers. The people who did not own the rice fields finally started a new activity around the house, which was processing clay which turned out not to break if it was tossed for kitchen equipment and toys.

In line with the times, then craft items from clay or better known as pottery or pottery crafts were developed to be more varied according to market needs and desires. Even handicrafts in Kasongan Village are not only clay / pottery items, but now Kasongan residents have used other materials that are widely available in the surrounding environment such as coconut shells, bamboo, rattan, wood, and others to be processed into goods. decoration that has a higher value. This skill in making pottery has been passed down from generation to generation to make Kasongan Village an iconic pottery tourism village in Bantul Regency.

Kasongan tourist village is a residential area of kundi, or jars or gundi, which means people who make a kind of pitcher, gendi, cauldron, and other things classified as kitchen equipment, as well as decorative items made of pottery or clay.

Until now Kasongan Village has become one of the destinations of tourist villages in Yogyakarta that are in great demand by tourists. Rows of show rooms or gallery houses in the tourist village of Kasongan offer pottery and other materials such as jars, flower pots, decorative lights, miniature transportation equipment (pedicabs, bicycles, cars), various bags, sculptures, souvenirs for brides, as well as other attractive decorations for display at home.

One of the legendary statues in Kasongan Village is the statue of Loro Blonyo. Loro Blonyo is a statue of a pair of brides who are believed to give good luck if placed inside the house. We can find this statue in various poses. This statue was first introduced by the Loro Blonyo Gallery which was adopted from a bride statue belonging to the Yogyakarta Palace.

If you are interested in knowing more about the process of making pottery crafts, then some galleries offer short courses for you to follow. You can also see the process of making pottery in several production houses.

Location

Kasongan Village is located in the Kajen hamlet, Bangunjiwo Village, Kasihan District, Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta. If you depart from the city of Yogyakarta, then head south to find the Dongkelan intersection (intersection of South Ring Road - Jalan. Bantul). Choose the road south past Jalan Bantul. The trip from the Dongkelan intersection only takes about 10 minutes or 20 minutes from the city center. If you have arrived in the tourist village of Kasongan, you will be greeted by an entrance to the tourist village.

What You Can Do

Things that can be done in Kasongan village such as:

Take short classes in making clay crafts, see them making clay crafts, buy clay crafts, research, etc.

Prices

Various Kasongan ceramic products can be redeemed at various prices. Starting from Rp.5,000, - up to millions of rupiah, depending on the size of a ceramic product and the level of difficulty in the manufacturing process. The price of the cheapest ceramic products is small souvenirs. Embodiments of these souvenirs are usually pencil cases, ashtrays, candle containers and mini sculptures. You only need to pay IDR 3,000 up to IDR 20,000.

For ceramic urn products, you will find many price variants. Starting from 100 thousand rupiahs, up to over one million rupiah. In general, if you bring 300 to 500 thousand rupiah, you can already choose a variety of jars with many types and colors, and finishing.

Due to the large number of ceramic products in Kasongan, we cannot write down all the products and their prices on this site. We suggest you come directly to Kasongan Tourism Village. Just a note, that many Kasongan products are sold in various tourism objects in Yogyakarta and its surroundings, such as Borobudur Temple and Malioboro Street. However, we guarantee that you will not lose if you buy directly from the craftsmen, at the Kasongan Craft Center. In addition to the more competitive price, you can also bid as you wish, although not all of the showrooms in Kasongan sell ceramics that can be negotiable at a price.

Marketing

Kasongan ceramics have been known by many people in various places in the archipelago and in other parts of the world. Its products have been exported to Europe, Asia and America. In Indonesia alone, Kasongan is one of the suppliers for the needs of pottery & ceramics for its residents.

Most buyers prefer to come directly to Kasongan. Every day, no less than 50 people visit Kasongan. The amount will increase a lot during weekends and holidays. Usually, they come in groups, by private car or bus.

In Kasongan there is also an office that also serves as a showroom of the UPT (Technical Service Unit) Named Koperasi Setya Bawana (Kopinkra Art of Ceramics Kasongan). The cooperative which is located in one complex with Edotel hotel is managed under the auspices of the Department of Industry and Trade of Bantul Regency.

In this cooperative office, in addition to having a showroom space of various ceramic products, it also has another room that is no less interesting, namely the workshop room. In the room located behind this showroom, we can directly learn to make various ceramics from clay. Supported by fairly complete equipment, as well as a spacious room, making this place very suitable for those of you who come with groups. You can make ceramics, together with all your friends, and compare the results.