Seto Ware

Seto ware, ceramics manufactured in Seto by one of the so-called Six Ancient Kilns of Japan. It was first produced in the later Kamakura period toward the close of the 13th century. The origin of Seto ware is usually attributed to Katō Shirōzaemon (Tōshirō), who is said to have studied ceramic manufacture in southern China and produced pottery of his own in the Seto district upon his return. The wares, clearly influenced by those of the Southern Sung dynasty in China and those of the Koryŏ dynasty in Korea, eventually became a substitute for continental wares.

Seto ware differs from the aforementioned Chinese and Korean wares in character and feeling because of the different clays used and the remodeled Sueki kilns (less sophisticated than their Chinese counterparts) and in part because of the strong influence of Japan’s own pottery traditions.