Mino Ceramic Ware

Mino ware (Mino-yaki) is a general term for ceramics produced in the eastern part of Mino Province (present-day Gifu Prefecture) and is recognized as a traditional craft.

Its history is ancient and dates back over 1,300 years. It is said to have originated from Sue ware in the Nara period (710–794), and after the Momoyama period (1573–1603), when Oda Nobunaga(織田信長), Toyotomi Hideyoshi(豊臣秀吉), and others settled the country, pottery of various shapes and colors were produced under the guidance of Sen no Rikyu(千利休) and Furuta Oribe(古田織部), a tea master, and military commander. Furuta Oribe's ingenious "Oribe's Favorite(織部好み)" is very famous.

The Tono region has been blessed with essential resources for ceramics production, such as high-quality pottery clay like the kibushi and kaeru-me varieties and abundant water from the Toki River. It has flourished as one of Japan's leading ceramic production areas, and various techniques have developed according to the times.