Let's take a walk back in time, say to the 1570s. Not just any ol' hike through the woods, but a pilgrimage to the birthplace of some of Japan's greatest ceramic wares.
We find ourselves in the hills surrounding Toki and Tajimi cities in Mino Province, now in southern Gifu Prefecture. Many new kilns have been established by potters fleeing the frequent battlegrounds of Owari Province, where the great kilns of Seto are. Notably, one Kato Kagemitsu (1513-1585) relocated here in 1574 and opened kilns in Okaya, Ohira and Kujiri that fired some of the Shino ware masterpieces of the Momoyama Period (1573-1615).
Kato was under the personal protection of none other than Oda Nobunaga, the great warlord who began the reunification of Japan. This vividly shows the important status that some potters had. Able to peacefully concentrate on throwing and firing, Kato and his crew introduced other classic ceramics: Setoguro (black Seto), Ki-Seto (yellow Seto) and Oribe. With the inclusion of these wares in the tea ceremony, the Japanese ceramic scene took on a new dimension and one that has captivated ceramic lovers ever since.