is a style of Japanese pottery made in Kasama, Ibaraki, Ibaraki Prefecture,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

History

During the mid- Edo period, many potters from the Shigaraki area traveled the country to sell their wares or to simply find employment. During the An'ei period (1772–1784), the headman of Hakoda village in Hitachi Province, Kuno Hanzaemon Michinobe, invited a potter from Shiragaki named Chōzaemon to build a kiln in his village. The new kiln produced plain utilitarian pots and vessels, but soon received the patronage and protection of the '' daimyō'' of Kasama Domain, who controlled Hakoda village. This marked the beginning of the ''Kasama-yaki'' pottery style. During the Meiji period, mass production techniques were introduced and Kasama grew to rival

Mashiko 270px, Kiln in Mashiko is a town located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 21,841 in 7914 households, and a population density of 240 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Mashiko is known for it ...

as a leading pottery center for the

Kantō region The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...

. After World War II, changes in local attitudes opened the Kasama-ware industry beyond its traditional restrictions on form and style, and also opened the door to any craftsmen, regardless of previous training or background. A similar transformation also occurred in nearby Mashiko. At present, more than 300 potters are active in Kasama, using various types of clay and glazes with no resemblance to the original Kasama-ware works of the Edo period.

References

{{Authority control Japanese pottery Culture in Ibaraki Prefecture Kasama, Ibaraki