Kageyasu and the Karatsu Kilns
On August 11th of the same year (1585), Kageyasu, the eldest son of Kageakira, who had died at the age of 73, became the head of the family. He was a master potter in his own right, and was not inferior to his father in skill. One day, a ronin named Mori Zen’emon from Karatsu in Hizen came to Hisajiri, and when he saw the poor quality of the pottery produced at the kilns in the area, he was greatly displeased. He asked Zen’emon to accompany him to Hizen, where he returned to Kujiri, where he learned the structure of the Karatsu kilns, how to fire them, and the methods of glazing, and from then on, Kageen’s pottery skills greatly improved, and he came to be known as an unprecedentedly skilled potter of the time. Hearing about the good reputation of the Karatsu kilns, potters from Seto and Atsu came to visit, but Kageen refused to show them his work.
The Karatsu Kilns and the Akitsu Potters
One year, a group of Akitsu potters came to the Keigen kilns to pay their respects at the beginning of the year, and when the party was in full swing, one of them, Matsubara Jinei (the son of Taro), sneaked off to the toilet and climbed over the high wall to take a look at the secret kilns. When Kagenobu chased after him, the other guests ran away. From this point on, Seto and Akazu all followed the Karatsu kilns and brought about a revolution in the style of the Ono kilns. The famous tea caddies from his Hishi kiln are said to have been made around this time.
Shidoro Revival
In the same Tensho era (1573-1593), Kato Kagenobu’s younger brother-in-law Naito Gorosamon Kagetada (the son of Gorokomon Kagetoyo, and the first Kato Shokomon) revived the Shidoro ware of Enshu. In later years, Kobori Enshu no Kami Masakazu, who called himself “Soho and died on February 6th, 1692 at the age of 69”, directed the local potters to make tea utensils, and this led to the rise of the Shidoro name. Incidentally, the seven Enshu kilns that Kobori preferred were the Shidoro kilns, as well as the Zeze kilns in Omi, the Ueno kilns in Buzen, the Asahi kilns in Yamashiro, the Akahada kilns in Yamato, the Kosobe kilns in Settsu, and the Takatori kilns in Chikuzen.
Komatsudani ware
In the same Tensho era (1573-1593), a potter named Motoyoshi from Shigaraki came to Shibukawa in Yamashiro Province and improved the glazing method used in the old Fukaoka pottery making method. This is known as Komatsudani ware or Shibukawa ware.
Tamba ware
Tamba ware was created in the village of Tachikui in Imada (Taki County), Tamba Province, during the Tensho era (1573-1593). (By the time of the Kan’ei era, they were making tea utensils, and the ones with dozens of threads on the outside of the vessel were rare, and in later generations they were called old Tamba ware.
Tokoname Revival
During the Tensho era (1573-1593), Tokoname ware was revived. (In the Genroku era (1688-1704), they produced red jars were made, and after the Kyoho era (1716), under the orders of the Murata clan, tea utensils, sake utensils, and flower vases were made, and the adopted son, Genkosai Choshichi, was a skilled potter. In the second year of the Kansei era (1790), Ina Chozaburo invented hiiro-yaki, shu-doro, and shiro-doro, etc. In the fourth year of the same era, Akai Yutaka invented the Minami-e style of painting. Also known as Kō Hakujōmura Hachie, he “died at the age of 79 in the third year of the Tenwa era” and used a wheel to make elegant works of art using his fingers and a bamboo stick, opening up a new style of pottery. In the Kyōwa era, Koie Hōkyū devised a new kiln, and his son Hōju completed stoneware pottery in his father’s memory. In the Bunsei era (1818-1830), Ina Chozaemon I invented a type of white clay, and in the Meiji era (1868-1912), Tōrenken Akai Shinsoku produced elegant works of art. In later years, earthenware pipes, braziers and low-grade export goods were produced in large quantities, and the area became one of the foremost pottery-producing regions in the whole country.
Revival of port pottery
During the Tensho era (1573-1593), port pottery was revived in Sakai Port in Izumi Province, and it was produced exclusively using the rokaku method. There is a local legend that the pottery was founded in the Jōgan era (859-877) when the priest Gyōki taught the local people how to make pottery, but the details are unknown. (In the Bunka era (1804-1818), Hirotada Sakai produced a red glaze in the style of Koji ware.)
Soshiro Ware
In the Tensho era (1573-1593), there was a potter in Kyoto called Soshiro who made a type of earthenware called Soshiro ware, which was similar to the type of earthenware used in Chinese-style stoves. He was given the title of “the best in the world” by Hideyoshi.
Imado ware
Imado ware was created in the Tensho era (1573-1593) in the Musashi Province, in the area that is now Tokyo. The descendants of the Chiba clan of the former Shimousa Province settled in this area and began making earthenware. In the Teikyo era (1684-1688), Shiroi Shichi first made tea ceremony utensils such as tea bowls and braziers. In the Kyoho era (1716-1736), his son Shichi made glazed pottery and also made clay figures similar to Fushimi dolls, which are known as Imado dolls. In the Kaei era (1848-1855), there was a potter named Masanori who was known for his skill. In the 8th year of the Meiji era (1875), Ryosai Inoue, also known as Ryosuke, came from Seto’s Tougyakuen and set up a pottery in Hashibamachi, where he produced porcelain.
Eiraku ware
In the same Tensho era (1573-1593), a potter named Nishimura Soin (who died on March 21st, 1688) created the Eiraku ware, which was used to make the vessels for the Kasuga Shrine in Nara, Yamato Province. He later moved to Sakai in Izumi, but his grandson Zengoro Sōzen moved the kiln to Kyoto again. During the Bunka era (1804-1818), Zen’goro Ryozen’s son Zen’goro Hozan began to make porcelain in addition to the earthenware he had been making, and he also painted ancient-style designs on the porcelain using gold powder on top of red paint. Tokugawa Ieyasu of Kishu greatly admired them, and he was particularly fond of the gold seal from the Kibin branch of the river and the silver seal from the Eiraku kiln. From this point on, the family name was Eiraku, and the son, Zengoro, was invited to the Kutani kiln in Kaga to teach the art of painting, but later moved to Okazaki in Mikawa Province).
Daibutsu-gawara
On May 25th of the 14th year of the Tensho era (1586), Hideyoshi ordered the construction of a Daibutsuden (a hall for a large statue of Buddha) at Hoko-ji Temple in Kyoto, and he appointed Nagatoshi Yamanaka, the governor of Yamashiro, to oversee the construction. Nagatoshi ordered the firing of roof tiles to be used for the construction, and this was the beginning of the Daibutsu-gawara (large Buddha tiles).
Shobu Kiln
In the same year as 1587, Kato Jirozaemon Kagejo (the youngest son of Kageharu and the son of Kage) established the Shobu Kiln in Hisajiri, Mino Province.
The golden inscription on Raku ware
On the 13th of September in the 15th year of the Tensho era (1587), Hideyoshi completed the Shuraku residence, and ordered Tanaka Chosuke’s younger brother, Kichizaemon Tsunekiyo, to make tea utensils to the taste of Rikyu, and to inscribe the golden letters “Raku” on them in reference to the Shuraku residence. From this point on, the term “raku ware” came to be used, and this style of pottery came to be produced in the residences of various lords.
The original clay used for raku ware is a reddish-brown color, made by applying yellow clay over a white chalk base. In addition, the pebbles from the Kamo River were ground and mixed with glaze and fired, and the resulting black, glossy ware was called Kuro-Raku. He was succeeded by his son, Kichibei Michinori, who was also a skilled potter.
Koetsu Raku ware
There is also a type of Raku ware known as Koetsu Raku ware. Hon’ami Koetsu (originally known as Kataoka Jirozaburo, born in 1637, died in 1703 at the age of 81) was originally an expert in swords, but after learning the tea ceremony from Furuta Shigekatsu, he produced sublime Akaraki tea bowls in Takagamine, outside Kyoto, in accordance with the style of Choshu. Other famous names such as Koetsu Seto, Koetsu Zeze, and Koetsu Kaga are all names given to works made from the clay of the area where they were made. (The works made by Koetsu Koko, the grandson of Koetsu Seto, using the clay of Shigaraki are called Shigaraki Koetsu.
Kitano Grand Tea Gathering
On October 1st of the same year (1588), Hideyoshi held a grand tea gathering at Kitano (in the northwest of Kyoto’s Kamigyo Ward). From August 2nd, he erected signboards in various places such as Otsu, Nara, Fushimi, Osaka, and Sakai He erected signboards in various places, such as Otsu, Nara, Fushimi, Osaka, and Sakai, inviting tea masters, and on the day of the event, people of all ranks and classes, both noble and common, gathered at the venue, where there was no room to spare, and numerous famous utensils and rare pieces were displayed.
It would be hasty to view this as merely a hobby for Hideyoshi. He pacified the nation and implemented two peace policies. The first was to restore the Buddhist temples that had fallen into disrepair due to the long period of war, and the second was to promote the tea ceremony. The two policies were both motivated by the desire to promote the development of pottery, as the tea ceremony was a peaceful activity based on the principles of harmony, respect, purity and tranquility, and was also democratic.
Passion for the Way of Tea
At the time, it was astonishing how passionate Hideyoshi and others with similar interests were about the Way of Tea. There is an anecdote about how, when he was rewarding one of his subordinates, he asked him whether he should reward him with several counties or with famous tea utensils, and the subordinate replied that he would prefer the famous tea utensils to the land.
Goro Shichi Takahara
Around this time, Goro Shichi Takahara was employed as a potter for the Shogun’s residence at Shugaku-tei. His father was a man called Takahara Doan (Yohei) from Namba, and there is a theory that Goroshi was also called Oribe, but his family background is not known, and he was an extraordinary master of pottery, and in later years he was an important figure who appeared in various mountains in Hizen.
Akahada ware
In the same Tensho era (1573-1593), Hideyoshi’s younger brother, Hidenaga (who died on January 22nd, 1593), summoned the potter Koguro from Tokoname and had him create Akahada ware, a type of pottery that produced small cracks in the glaze, in his domain of Gojo-mura in Yamato Province (now Tsuetate-mura in Ikoma-gun, in the Sennan area). (It was revived by Nonomura Ninsei in the Shoho era (1645-1648). During the Kyoho era (1716-1736), it flourished under the patronage of the feudal lord Yanagisawa Gyozan, “Lord of Koriyama Castle and Governor of Kai”. During the Tempo era (1831-1845), there was a famous potter called Kisira Kakuya Takehyo. (Many of his works have a grayish-white glaze with black spots)
The famous Shigaraki
Sen no Rikyu also produced Shigaraki ware to his own taste, and this is the Rikyu Shigaraki that is known today. (During the Kan’ei era (1624-1645), his great-grandson Sotan used the name Sotan Shigaraki for the ware he produced. Kobori Muneyoshi, who was also a potter in Shigaraki, selected the clay and tried to remove the impurities, but the resulting pieces were thin and lacking in body. This style was called Enshu Shigaraki. Other potters, such as Ninshō Shigaraki and Shinbei Shigaraki, were also known by different names.
Etchu Seto
In April of the second year of Bunroku (1594) in the village of Kamiseto (Shinkawa-gun) in the province of Etchu, a potter named Hiko-mon from Owari Seto was invited by the local lord, Maeda Toshinao, to make tea utensils, and this is the origin of Etchu Seto.
The Revival of Mino Ware
In the second year of the Keicho era (1597), Kato Kagenobu of the Hisajiri clan presented a white glazed tea tray to the retired Emperor Go-Sho-cho, who was so impressed that he gave the tea tray the name Asahi-yaki. (Keien, who is known as the founder of the Mino pottery revival, passed away on February 2, 1632, and was posthumously awarded the rank of Junior Fifth Rank on November 10, 1915).
Tokugawa Period in Edo = Okaya Kiln
In the same year as Keicho 6 (1601), Kato Genjuro Kagenari, the second son of Keikyu, is said to have opened a kiln in Okaya, Kuguri Village (Kari County), Mino Province, and produced Shino and Oribe ware.
Mizukami Kiln
In the same year as Keicho 7 (1602), Kato Taroemon Kagetoshi, the fifth son of Keikyu, revived the Mizukami Kiln in Mino Province (Ena County).
Yoshinao calls back the potters
On March 5th, 1600, Tokugawa Yoshinao, the lord of Owari, issued an order to the village headman to bring back the potters of Seto, who had dispersed to other countries in 1582, and to have them return to their homeland. The two who returned to Akitsu at this time were Kato Karasaburo Kagetada, who had been making pottery in Mino Province (Ena County), and his younger brother, Kagetomo (both sons of Fujiemon Kagetori).
Also, those who returned to Shinano in Mizukami Village (Ena County) were Kato Shinkomon Kageshige and his younger brother Mitsumon Shigemitsu (both sons of Manukimon Motonori). The feudal lord granted 8 tan of land to those who returned to Akitsu, and 7 tan to those who returned to Shinno, and also gave them a pension of 200 ryo, but on the 15th of the following year, January 16th, he ordered the person in charge of the kilns to be given 20 koku of land as a reward.
Kiyomizu ware
During the Keicho era (1596-1615), a man named Yakubei produced colored pottery on Kiyomizu Gojozaka in Kyoto. This is considered to be the origin of Kiyomizu ware.
Kasahara ware
In the first year of Genna (1615) of the reign of Emperor Go-Mizunoo, Kato Jiemon Kageshige, the sixth son of Kagekyu, and Kato Hiemon Kageshige, the eighth son of Kagekyu, opened a pottery in Kasahara (in the Toki district) in Mino Province. (It is also said that the pottery was opened by Minamoto Juro Kagenari in the 15th year of the Tensho era (1600).
Takada Kiln
In the same year of Genna 2 (1616), Kato Yoshinori, the seventh son of Kagekyu, opened a kiln in Takada, Mino Province (in the Toki area).
Awata ware: In the Genwa era, Kato Shinbei Kageari (the younger brother of Kichiemon Shige) of Seto opened a pottery in Kacho-hata, Awataguchi Sanjo Kega-ue, Kyoto, and changed his name to Sanmonjiya Kuzakomon. He then founded Awata ware in collaboration with his sons Kuzakomon, Sukeharu Kuzakomon, and his apprentice Tokuemon.
Tajimi Kiln
In the 18th year of the Kan’ei era (1641) of the Meisho Emperor, Kato Sakomon Kagesusu (the fourth son of Matsubara Taro of Abozu) was adopted by Yazaemon Kageyori (the son of Kagekou) and opened a kiln in Tajimi (Toki County) in Mino Province.
The opening of the kilns in Keicho after the Korean campaign is dealt with separately in the latter part of this article, and although there were countless other kilns that began producing pottery in Kyoto and other parts of the country, as they all belong to later years, we have decided to list the important pottery-producing areas and the people who opened the kilns.
Pottery-producing areas in later years
Aizu ware from Iwashiro, 1656, by Mizuno Genzaemon Nariharu
Odo ware from Tosa, 1656, Munehaku Kuno
Soma ware from Iwashiro, 1624, Kiyoharu Tashiro
Kutani ware from Kaga, 1657, Saijiro Goto
Ohi ware from Kaga, 1666, Chosaemon Ohi
Izumo Raku-zan ware, Enpo era, Kurahashi Kubei Shigeyoshi
Ise Manko ware, Genbun era, Numakawa Gozakumon Shigenaga
Izumo Fushina ware, Kanen era, Funaki Yojibe Muramasa
Owari Inuyama ware, Genroku era, Okumura Denzaburo
Iwami ware from Iwami, 1738, Morita, unknown
Tobe ware from Iyo, 1777, Jisugino, Jyosuke
Sanda ware from Settsu, 1788, Jindasobei Yoshishige
Izushi ware from Tajima, 1790, Jirin, Muraukomon
Aizu ware from Iwashiro, 12th year of Kansei, porcelain Sato Ihei Toyoyoshi
Kiyomizu ware from Kyoto, 3rd year of Bunka, porcelain Miyata Kumakichi
Seto ware from Owari, 4th year of Bunka, porcelain Kato Tamikichi Hoken
Hirashimizu ware from Uzen, Bunka era, Ono Tojihei
Musho ware from Bizen, Kansei era, Imayoshi Kichizo
Kii’s Otokoyama ware, 1813, Rihei Sakiyama
Awaji’s Awaji ware, 1815, Minpei Kasyu
Harima’s Higashiyama ware, An’ei era, Kousuke Shigenai
Hitachi’s Kasama ware, Tempou era, Jimpo Yamada
Omi’s Koto ware, 1842, Koichiro Onoda Tamenori
Mino’s Okoshi-yaki, 1849, Kiyoshi Shimizu
Shimotsuke’s Mashiko-yaki, 1853, Keizaburo Otsuka
Famous potters in Kyoto
In Kyoto, too, many famous potters emerged after the Tensho era, including Otowa, Seikanji, Komatsudani, Shimizu and Awata. Among the most famous were Arai Shinbei, Takeya Genjuro, Nakadagawa Kozon, Sasatakean, Ganki Shoui, Shozan, Yanosuke, Sosan, Gensuke, Manuukon, Rokusaemon, Michimi, Chamaya Kohei, and Chausuya.
Nonomura Ninsei
In particular, Nonomura Ninsei, who came from the Seikan-ji temple (Seiho-mon) in the Kuwata district of Tanba Province (now Kyoto Prefecture), was known as Seikoumon Masahiro, and later took the name of Ninnsei after becoming a Buddhist priest. (He opened a kiln in the Sanneizaka or Awataguchi area of Kiyomizu during the Kan’ei era, and was appointed Harima Otsune. He died in 1666.) Rare master craftsmen like him emerged, and the fame of Kyoto-yaki reached the point where it was unsurpassed throughout the land.
Other famous potters of the time included Kiyomizu’s Rokusuke, Awata’s Kiyobei, Gojozaka’s Okumibei, Goshizaka’s Rokusuke, Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and Kamei, and , and others such as the famous potters of the same area, including Shinsui Zoroku, Kichibei of Iwakurayama, Kinkozan Kihei of Awata, Obiyama Yohei of the same area, Ito Tozan of the same area, and Miura Chikusen of Gojozaka. There were also other famous potters such as
Okuda Eikou
Okuda Eikou (also known as Shiei, Younokuni, and Shouukoumon; lived in Gojo Daikoku-cho under the tutelage of Ebikiyo; died on April 27th, 1818 at the age of 59)
Aoki Mokume
Aoki Mokume (also known as Sahei, Usahira, and Hachijuhachiya; his name was Gensa, and he also used the names Rōbei, Kugurui, Kokikan, Hyakurokuyajin, and Teiunzakura; he was a student of Eikō and lived in Awata; he died on April 15th, 1833 at the age of 67)
Kinkodo Kiyosuke
Kinkodo Kiyosuke (a student of Eikawa, and the creator of Settsu Sanda celadon ware)
Michihachi Takahashi
Michihachi Takahashi (also known as Rōzan Matahora, he was the eldest son of the first Michihachi Mitsushige and the second generation Doi. He lived in Shimizu under the tutelage of Awata no Yama, and died on May 26th, 1855 at the age of 73)
Kenzan Ogata
Kenzan Ogata (also known as Kenkyu Kuwabara, and also by the pseudonyms Shinsho Shoko, Shujindo, Shisui, Toutoku, and Reikai. He was the youngest son of Ogata Sokken and the younger brother of the painter Korin Ogata. He lived in Iriya, Edo, and died on June 2, 1748 at the age of 81.
Shuhei Ogata
Shuhei Ogata (the younger brother of the aforementioned 2nd generation Michiiri Takahashi, changed his name to Shukuzo Goshukou after his death. Contributor to Awaji Minpei ware, died during the Meiji era)
Nishimura Hozan
Nishimura Hozan (eldest son of Eiraku Zengoro Ryozen, changed name to Hozan Zengoro Zenichiro. Head of Kishu-yaki pottery, died on September 18th, 1854 at the age of 60)
Kouzan Miyagawa
Kouzan Miyagawa (the son of Shusai Miyagawa, a student of Mokume, and known as Toranosuke, was the founder of Ota-yaki, also known as Makuzu-yaki, in Fujiyama, Ota-mura, Kuguragi-gun, Musashi Province (now Minami-Ota-cho, Yokohama City). (He was selected as a member of the Imperial Household’s Technical Arts Staff, and died on May 20th, 1916 at the age of 69.)
As a preliminary to the history of Hizen pottery, which begins here, I will first give a brief overview of the history of pottery in relation to the Korean campaign led by Hideyoshi.
