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Seto(Akazu)

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:02:53 +0000

The Glazing of Seto(Akazu) Ware

Ash Glaze
In the early Heian Era, early examples of pottery fired in the cavern kilns as tableware for Heian nobility had only half of their surface covered in a natural glaze consisting of melted ash.

Iron Glaze
From the early Kamakura Era, iron glazing incorporating mizutare and oni’ita clay were used in firing. Tea utensils, starting with tea containers, were first made, and the time was known to the world as the Golden Age of Kozeto, or Old Seto. Flower pasting, flower printing and other kinds of decorative methods were developed.

Kozeto
Kozeto pottery was created from the early Kamakura Era. With one variety of iron glaze which contains brown elements within the black of the glaze, tea containers were started to be made and tea utensils came into great use. The Kozeto tea containers were especially famous.

Oribe
From the Momoyama Era to the early Edo Era, tea utensils were used which included at the time, Shino, Narumi, Seto (Setoguro, Kuro-oribe, Oribeguro) and Enote. At present, Kuro-oribe (black), Ao-oribe (blue), Aka-oribe (red) are included under Oribe.
Generally, only Ao-oribe is identified as Oribe.
Kuro-oribe includes iron glaze while Aka-oribe incorporates red and white clays with patterns designed on the surface and iron brushwork.
E-oribe only deals with Oribe designs and is fired with ash white glaze.
There is a controversy on whether Oribe originated in Mino or Seto, but after Nobunaga Oda was able to shake off the confusion of war, many artisans moved from Seto to Mino, and Kagemitsu Kato, the potter who is said to have opened the Kujiri kilns, carried out his work in Akazu in the second year of Tensho (1575), and in 1583, he returned to Mino and opened Kujiri. In this way, it is thought that at around the same time Seto and Mino started producing Oribe, Shino and Kizeto Ware.

Kizeto
In one kind of iron glaze, the iron content is at about 10% which results in a beautiful yellow color to form on pottery. Plates and pots, which were used as Momoyama Era tea utensils, were in frequent usage. In 1501, flatware such as Shippomon and Hanabenroku were produced in Akazu’s Shirasakataki Shitakama Kilns.

Shino
Because only feldspar could be used as a glaze during the Momoyama Era, there were excavated holes to dig out the feldspar in the Hiromi area on the east side of Mt. Sanageyama in Akazu. In addition, on the west side such holes still remain even now in Akazu. Because Mino Ware was using a lot of porcelain clay feldspar high in iron, a red coloration was seen, and thus Mino was also given the nickname of Aka-Shino (Red Shino). At the same time, Akazu’s feldspar had a low iron content which created a white coloration, and thus the nickname of Shiro-Shino (White Shino) was given.

Ofuke
The Owari branch of the Tokugawa clan had a kiln built in the Honmaru Palace gardens of Nagoya Castle, and pottery called Bishu oniwayaki started to be made there. In 1638, Chin Genpin from China was brought over from Edo and took charge of the kiln. The Annam-style of Gosue pottery was first directed by Chin. This painted pottery underwent reduction firing and was given the name of Ofuke, while pottery that underwent oxidation firing was called Annam or Annam-de. The glaze for Annam itself was a variety of ash glaze that had appeared in the time just before the Heian Era.

All of the names above were organized, and the seven types and the glaze names were integrated. On March 30, 1977, they were designated as traditional handicrafts.

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Article by Seto City Marutto Museum and Tourist Association

Seto(Akazu) – History

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:01:23 +0000

The time period for Seto Ware can be traced back to the time of Sue Ware just before the Hattori/Nara Eras, but it is difficult to decide exactly when. As a historical fact, though, a description concentrating on containers from Owari, Yamada-gun in the general vicinity of Seto being at the Imperial Court has been seen in several sources such as the Engi-Shiki and Nihon Kouki.

Among the manufactured goods of the Heian Era, there was pottery with ash glaze, and in the Kamakura Era, goods that used glazes such as iron glazing and Old Seto were seen. In addition, it has been said during this time that the ceramics master Shirouzaemonkagemasa Kato engaged in manufacturing porcelain. The goods of this time included flower vases, water containers, plates and tea containers and the small plates include a predecessor of Shino Ware with iron brushwork on white lacquer.

On entering the Momoyama Era (1568-1614), the wares of Shino, Oribe and Kizeto were created, but it is said that Shino Ware was first fired by Kagemitsu Kato in the Mino kilns of Kujiri or Taihei. Kato’s son, Kagenobu, clearly manufactured white-lacquered porcelain goods at the Kujiri kiln.

Oribe Ware were goods created in Seto-like kilns around the period transitioning from the Keicho to Kan’ei Eras (1596-1643) and were the favorites with Oribenokami Furuta. There was a small lapse afterwards but the ware was revived in the years of the Tenmei Era (1781-1788). Nevertheless, there was an extremely rapid development in dyeing and around the time from the end of the Shogunate into the Meiji Era, Shuntai Kato emerged to bring about a renaissance in Oribe Ware.

Kizeto Ware has been to have been invented by the second Shiro Kato during the Momoyama Era, but it has been noticed that goods existed which had evidence of Kizeto styling even before that time.

In the early Edo Era, Nihe Kato, Taihei Kato and Tousaburo Kato, among others, were ordered to create pottery for the Owari clan, and they produced Annam dyeing, ash glaze and Ofuke glaze.

At present, the city of Seto is associated with porcelain goods, but in the Akazu area of the same city, ceramic goods are the main product.

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Article provided by the Seto Marutto Museum and the Seto Tourist Association.

Seto(Akazu) – Photos

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:00:53 +0000

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Photos provided by the Seto Marutto Museum and the Seto Tourist Association.

Seto(Akazu) – Travel

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:55:08 +0000

Basic Information / Articles
- Wikipedia
- Wikitravel
- iGuide
- e-YAKIMONO.NET
- Japan-i
- Japan National Tourism Organization
- English Web Site Seto
- The Road Through Aichi and Nagoya’s Heartland
- Seto Marutto Museum
- Photos on flickr (Downtown / Train Station)

Programs / Activities
- 30-day pottery making in Seto

Accommodations
Seto Park Hotel
- Official (English)
- Reservation (Rakuten)
- Reviews (TripAdvisor)
- Photos on flickr
- Google Map
Accomodations in Nagoya
- Reservation (JAPANiCAN / Rakuten / Ikyu / JTO)

Museums
Setogura Museum
- English Web Site Seto
- Photos on flickr (Seto Gura)
- Google Map
Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum
- Official (Japanese)
- e-YAKIMONO.NET
- Google Map
Seto Ceramics and glass Art Center
- English Web Site Seto
- The Road Through Aichi and Nagoya’s Heartland
- Google Map

Resraurants
Kurasho Restaurant
- Photos on flickr
- Google Map
Coffee Shop in Seto Ceramics and glass Art Center
- English Web Site Seto
- Photos on flickr
- Google Map

Ceramic Art Galleries / Pottery Shops
Akazu Ware Museum and Galley (Akazu-yaki Kaikan)
- Official (Japanese)
- Photos on flickr
- Google Map

Scenic Sites
Joko-Ji (Joko Temple)
- Official (English)
- Seto Marutto Museum
- Google Map
Kamagaki no Komichi (Pottery Fence Lane)
- Seto Marutto Museum
- Photos on flickr
- Google Map

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>> History
>> Photos