Kasama ware (artist from Kasama, Ibaraki)

Kasama ware began in the middle of the Edo period when Kuno Hanemon, the head of the Kasama clan and Hakoda village, opened a kiln after learning from Shigaraki ware potter Choemon. Since then, the relationship with Shigaraki has continued, and for this reason, jars made in Kasama have a similar texture to Shigaraki ware. In the early Showa era, Kasama-yaki faced a crisis due to the wave of mass production, but today, individual artists of various styles from all over the country have moved to Kasama-yaki, making it a thriving area for modern ceramic art. The free and open-minded background of accepting people from outside and new things has created the current Kasama area.