Akazu-yaki refers to pottery made in the Akazu-cho area in the eastern part of Seto City, Aichi Prefecture. Akazu-yaki is characterized by the use of seven glazes (ash glaze, iron glaze, kozeto, kiseto, oribe, shino, and ofuke) and 12 different decorative techniques such as herabori, inka, kushime, and mishimate. In 1977, it was designated as a national traditional craft.
It is one of the leading producers of ceramics and Seto ware in Japan, and the name "Setomono" (Seto) is derived from the ancient name of the area, Seto. It is famous for the Setomono Festival, one of the largest pottery events in Japan, which is said to attract hundreds of thousands of participants, and is also fresh in the memory as one of the two venues for the 2005 Japan International Exposition (Expo 2005 Aichi, Japan).
Seto City, with its millennial pottery culture, is decorated with pottery everywhere, including street signs and bridge railings, and is developing the "Seto Marutto Museum," a museum that treats the entire city as if it were a museum.
Please consider commemorative gifts using“Akazu Ware”.
We accept a variety of requests,
including letterhead sets and Japanese paper accessories,
as well as items such as the souvenir example.
Akatsu Pottery is said to have its origins in Sue ware, which was fired approximately 1,600 years ago, during the Nara period (710-794). During the Heian period, the oldest glaze in Japan (made of crushed plant ashes or stones dissolved in water. This prevents water leakage and gives ceramics a unique color and luster. This was followed by the emergence of iron glaze and Koseto glaze during the Kamakura period (1185-1333), and the use of these glazes developed into pottery. Then, in the early Edo period, the Owari clan, one of the three Tokugawa families, was established. Akatsuyaki became the official kiln of the Owari clan for the purpose of supplying pottery to the clan and for producing high-grade tea ceremony utensils and daily tableware, and seven types of glaze techniques were established, including Ofuke, Shino, Oribe, Kizeto, and others. Decorative techniques, which are still used in Akazu ware today, also developed, resulting in 12 different decorative techniques, including "inka," which is a pattern created by stamping, and "kushime," which is a pattern of corrugations, dotted lines, and swirls. The development of these decorative techniques has been an important element in the Akatsu Pottery tradition that has continued for over 1,200 years.
Today, there are more than 60 kilns in Seto City that carry on the tradition, and the city has developed into a major center of the ceramic industry in Japan. Today, a wide range of pottery is still produced, including tea ceremony utensils, flower arrangement tools, and household goods.
Please consider commemorative gifts using“Akazu Ware”.
We accept a variety of requests,
including letterhead sets and Japanese paper accessories,
as well as items such as the souvenir example.
