suyaki ni kagirazu, honyaki mo zikan ga kakatta.

に限らず means not limited to or not only.

So the pattern here is:

A に限らず、B も ...
= not only A, but B as well ...

In this sentence:

• 素焼きに限らず = not only the bisque firing / first firing
• 本焼きも = the final firing too

This expression is a bit more formal than something like だけでなく.

The verb 限る means to limit. In the expression A に限らず, the に marks what something is being limited to.

So:

• A に限る = to be limited to A
• A に限らず = not limited to A

This is just the normal grammar of this set expression, so it is best learned as a chunk:

Noun + に限らず

Examples:

• 日本に限らず、海外でも人気がある。
  = It is popular not only in Japan, but overseas too.
• 大人に限らず、子どもも楽しめる。
  = Not only adults, but children can enjoy it too.

The も adds the idea of too / also.

So:

• 本焼きも = the final firing too

This works together with 素焼きに限らず:

• not only 素焼き
• 本焼き too

That pairing is very natural in Japanese. If you changed も to は, the nuance would shift. も is the natural choice when you want to say A is not the only one; B also fits.

These are pottery-related terms.

• 素焼き: the first firing, often called bisque firing
• 本焼き: the main or final firing, after glazing or at the final stage

Even if the exact technical translation depends on the pottery context, the sentence is contrasting the first firing and the final/main firing.

So the structure is basically talking about both stages of firing.

Because 時間がかかる is a fixed expression meaning to take time.

In Japanese, かかる often works with が:

• 時間がかかる = time is required / it takes time
• お金がかかる = money is required / it costs money

So in this sentence:

• 時間がかかった = it took time

Even though English says take time, Japanese uses 時間がかかる, not 時間をかける here.

Compare:

• 時間がかかる = something takes time
• 時間をかける = someone spends time on something

For example:

• 本焼きに時間がかかった。 = The final firing took time.
• 本焼きに時間をかけた。 = Someone spent time on the final firing.

かかった is the past tense of かかる.

• dictionary form: かかる
• past form: かかった

So 時間がかかった means took time or required time.

The sentence is describing something that happened in the past, so the past form is used.

Japanese often leaves the subject unstated when it is clear from context.

In this sentence, the focus is not really on a separate grammatical subject like it in English. Instead, the sentence highlights the two processes:

• 素焼き
• 本焼き

The idea is something like:

• Not only the bisque firing; the final firing also took time.

If you forced it into fuller English, you might imagine an unstated subject like the firing process, the work, or simply it. But Japanese does not need to say that explicitly here.

They are very close in meaning.

• 素焼きに限らず、本焼きも...
• 素焼きだけでなく、本焼きも...

Both mean roughly not only 素焼き, but 本焼き as well.

The main difference is nuance:

• だけでなく is very common and straightforward
• に限らず sounds a bit more formal or slightly more literary

Also, に限らず can sometimes carry a broader sense of not limited to just that case, while だけでなく is a more direct not only A but also B.

In this sentence, either works, but に限らず gives a slightly more polished tone.

The comma helps separate the introductory phrase from the main statement.

So the sentence is divided like this:

• 素焼きに限らず、
• 本焼きも時間がかかった。

This makes it easier to read and shows that the first part sets up the contrast: not only A...

Japanese commas are often used for readability and rhythm, so while punctuation can vary, the comma here is very natural.

Yes. That is the natural implication.

The sentence explicitly says:

• not only 素焼き
• 本焼き also took time

This strongly suggests that 素焼き took time, and 本焼き did too.

So even though only 本焼きも時間がかかった is stated after the contrast marker, the meaning includes both.

This is a common Japanese pattern:

• mention one item with に限らず or だけでなく
• then say B も ...
• and the listener understands that the statement applies to A as well