There are few glazes in Japan as captivating as Ohi-yaki's ame-yu. Its rich caramel color is most often seen on chawan (tea bowls) and mizusashi (water jars), and the depth and elegance of the hues draw the viewer into a very serene world.
Like Raku, Ohi is the name of a family as well as a style of pottery. Toshio Ohi, an 11th-generation Ohi potter, will be showing his traditional and modern ceramic works at Nihonbashi Takashimaya's sixth-floor gallery until April 12.
The Ohi family and its wares are indeed closely related to Raku; the first Ohi potter was the son of Raku III, Donyu, and apprenticed to the fourth Raku master, Ichinyu. In Kanbun 6 (1666), Lord Maeda established the kiln under the guidance of Urasenke tea master Sen Soshitsu in the hamlet of Ohi, Ishikawa Prefecture. The first Ohi potter took the name Chozaemon.