Seto City Aichi

Today Aichi is thought of as the industrial hub of Japan, with many of the nation’s top manufacturing companies based here. But did you know that this reputation goes back quite some time? To the early 13th century in fact… The Birthplace of Japanese Ceramics Although Japan has one of the oldest ceramic traditions in the world, with earthenwares being created as early as the Jōmon period (10,000–300 BCE), as a heavily wooded country most domestic utensils in Japan were made of either natural or lacquered wood. However, as Chinese fashions grew in popularity, the upper class of samurai’s desire to emulate their Chinese neighbors brought about a societal change that could also be seen in the development of ceramics, particularly for use in tea ceremonies. After studying the manufacture of pottery in China, Katō Shirōzaemon, the father of Japanese ceramics also known as Tōshirō, searched for the ideal place to begin a Chinese-style pottery operation. Legend has it that one night a dog came to him in a dream and pointed out a spot in the south east of Seto in which to dig. When he awoke, he sought out the area that the nighttime apparition had shown him and found clay…