Seto-yaki in Echigo
Echizen Seto-yaki refers to pottery produced in the Shin-Seto district of Tateyama Town, Toyama Prefecture.
It originated when Maeda Toshimasa, the lord of the Kaga domain, invited potters from Seto in Owari Province to this area in the late 1590s to produce pottery.
Later, it became the official kiln of the domain and the leading production area in Echizen. As a result, the surrounding area came to be called Seto Village, and the pottery produced here was named Echizen Seto-yaki.
Echizen Seto-yaki, centered on pottery
Echizen Seto-yaki is characterized by bold use of glazes, such as applying and flowing them in various ways to create patterns.
The vessels are simple yet delicate in design.
Incidentally, while the famous Seto-yaki of Owari, which gave rise to the term “Seto-mono,” is now primarily porcelain, Echizen Seto-yaki refers to pottery, despite sharing the same name
Continuing pottery production in this region
At its peak, there were said to be 120 kilns, but now only four remain. The Shōraku Kiln we visited is one of them. In the Meiji era, when many kilns were closing down, Shōryō Shōjirō launched a revival movement and opened this kiln. Today, Shōryō Yukio and his eldest daughter, Yō, continue to create pottery here.
“Why can this become a tea bowl? The Japanese sense of perception divides a tea bowl into two parts: one for rice and one for tea. We see things with various divisions in our minds. I think that is a cultural characteristic,” explains Shikinyo Yukio.
The tradition of ‘Echizen Seto-yaki,’ which has continued for over 400 years, is carried on with passion for the works, and the flames in the kiln continue to burn brightly even today.
