Inuyama Ware: A Reflection of a Feudal Lord's Passion

"When my father passed away at the age of 80, I was already 50 myself. So thankfully, I had no hesitation or second thoughts about succeeding him as the 7th generation head."

The main house is a nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property. Recently converted into a café, the interior exudes a tranquil atmosphere with the dark tones of its time-worn timber. In a tatami room just off the doma (earthen floor entrance), Tatsushi shared the history of Inuyama ware and his own journey.

The origins of Inuyama ware date back to the Edo period. Although theories vary, it is said to have begun during the Genroku or An'ei eras when Okumura Denzaburo, the village head of Imai Miyagabora in Inuyama, took in potters who had left the Mino region. The practice of stamping the kiln mark "Inuyama" on the pieces they created marked the beginning of Inuyama ware.

"The Imai kiln thrived as long as the Okumura family was prosperous. However, after the 3rd generation head passed away, the family's fortunes declined. They could no longer support the potters, and the Imai kiln became unsustainable. The potters returned to farming. It was then that the feudal lord lamented this loss."

In 1810 (the 7th year of the Bunka era), the 7th lord of Inuyama Castle, Naruse Masanaga, ordered a merchant from the castle town, Shimaya Sokuro, to reopen a kiln in the Maruyama area, east of the castle. However, it seems it did not fare well as a business.

The kiln was passed from the Shimaya family to another merchant, Oshima Tabe'e. The Oshima family brought in the potter Kato Seizo from Shidami (present-day Moriyama-ku, Nagoya) to bolster the technical side of the operation. Although Inuyama ware made technical advancements during this time, it failed to become a stable business, and the Maruyama kiln eventually closed.

"When the Oshima family let go of the business, the lord finally decided to fund it himself. He appointed Kato Seizo, who had been a potter for the Oshima family, as the master of the kiln and also summoned artisans to Inuyama who could create aka-e (red paintings) and unkin-de (cloud and brocade) designs."

At that time, the Ozeki family still lived in Komaki, south of Inuyama. However, in 1842 (the 13th year of the Tenpo era), a great fire broke out in the castle town, originating from the kiln of Takayama Ichirobei, the official tile maker for Inuyama Castle. Taking responsibility, he relinquished his tile-making license (kawarabu). It was then that Tsunehachi, the father of the first-generation Sakujuro, acquired this license, and the Ozeki family moved to Inuyama. The tile kiln was also relocated to the Maruyama district, a safe distance from the castle town to prevent fire hazards and a place where tile clay was available.

"In 1873, when Kato Seizo retired due to old age, the 2nd generation Sakujuro of our family took over and established the Inuyama Pottery Company, dividing it into a tile division and a ceramics division. This marked the beginning of the Ozeki family's involvement in Inuyama ware. However, in 1891, the Nobi Earthquake—one of the largest inland earthquakes in Japan's history—destroyed the factory. It became difficult to keep the company going, and it was dissolved. Since we were originally tile makers, there was talk of focusing solely on tiles, but in the end, we decided to continue with pottery as well."

After the company was dissolved, the artisans who had worked there went independent. Inuyama ware reached its golden age in the early Showa period. Today, only three kilns remain in the city, but back then, there were eight.

"I've heard that the combined profits of those eight kilns were roughly equivalent to the entire budget of the town of Inuyama (present-day Inuyama City) at the time."

Akae: A Rare Style for Owari Ware

Although Inuyama is geographically close to Seto and Mino, its pottery has a distinctly different atmosphere. The vibrancy, based on akae (red painting) and the unkin-de style depicting cherry blossoms and autumn leaves, reflects the tastes of the lords of Inuyama Castle.

The adoption of akae and unkin-de in Inuyama ware began during the era of the eighth castle lord, Masazumi, who succeeded the seventh lord, Masatoshi. Under kiln master Kato Seizo, newly hired artisans began developing the painted designs that define modern Inuyama ware. They modeled their work on the large gosu-akae (blue and red) plates and bowls from the Ming Dynasty, which the castle lord had collected.

"The official wares for the castle were done in the akae style, but that alone wasn't enough for the artisans to make a living. So, they established a system to keep themselves employed by painting unkin-de designs and selling them to the public. The cherry blossoms represent clouds, and the autumn leaves represent brocade. By featuring both, the pieces capture both spring and autumn, making them suitable for use all year round."

Today at the Ozeki Sakujuro Pottery Studio, the eldest son and seventh-generation head, Risshi, handles the painting, while his younger brother, Tsubasaro, works the clay. There's a story behind why Risshi became the painter.

"After graduating from Seto Ceramic High School, I enrolled in their two-year advanced ceramics program. Just as I was about to finish, my father told me, 'Eguchi, our painter, is over 70 now, so we might face a shortage of painters down the road. Would you consider taking up painting?' I discussed it with my homeroom teacher, and out of several job offers the school had, I decided to go to Kyoto to study painting at the Shoami kiln, a producer of Kiyomizu ware."

He spent four years in Kyoto. He then returned to Inuyama at the request of his grandfather, the fifth-generation Sakujuro.

"In the end, Eguchi worked until he was 90!" he laughs.

Passing on the Tradition of Inuyama Ware

What struck me as our conversation continued was Risshi's personality and way of speaking. He didn't convey the bleak anxiety or heavy pressure about the future that I often sense in other craft regions. This is perhaps because he views the tradition and future of Inuyama ware not with vague apprehension, but with a much sharper focus.

"Believe it or not, I've had a lot of freedom to do things my own way," he says with a lighthearted laugh. "That's largely thanks to having my grandfather, my father, and artisans like Eguchi around. Of course, I accommodate custom orders. But when I suggest an idea to a client, like 'How about this?', they've often let me run with it."

He takes a gold-decorated bowl from a shelf. "I painted this with flowers from the garden, and it turned out surprisingly well," he reminisces about a memorable piece.

"Inuyama ware began as a hobby for the feudal lord, so we can't ever really stray from the akae and unkin-de styles. But on the flip side, because it was the lord's hobby, there's actually a historical precedent for a wide variety of designs. As long as we keep the foundations of akae and unkin-de, even if we try something out of the ordinary, we can always say, 'Well, they made things like this in the past, too.'"

Inuyama ware began with the Imai kiln and has evolved through the ages. Risshi offered a similar perspective on the future of his own kiln.

"I believe it's best to continue the tradition if possible, but not to the point where someone has to make great sacrifices or dedicate their entire life to it. If something requires such extreme measures to be passed down, then it's okay if it fades away. If that happens, we just have to accept that it's the tide of the times, that its lifeline has ended.

In my generation, I feel like I've largely let things take their own course, but somehow, we've managed to keep it going this far. I'm sorry if that sounds like a casual answer, but I think it's fine if it continues on in that sort of relaxed, unstrained manner."

The café in the main building is adorned with colorful pieces of Inuyama ware, creating a beautiful harmony between the wooden counter and the ceramics.

"In a worst-case scenario, if there's no one left to look after this place, maybe if I leave it in a usable state, someone else will come along and use it. That way, I think this place, at least, can be preserved."

The seasons will continue to turn. As Risshi calmly discusses the future, his eyes seem to reflect the vibrant red of akae.