Seto City in Aichi Prefecture is known as one of Japan's leading ceramics areas. Here, there is a museum unique to the town of pottery, the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum. The collection is the largest in Japan, with over 7,000 items. This is a museum where you can learn about pottery from around the world, including Japan and Asia.

In addition, it is a hands-on museum where you can learn, make, and use pottery, such as the "Togeikan" where you can experience pottery making and painting, and the tea room "Tosuian" where you can enjoy matcha green tea with pottery. This time, we will fully introduce the charm of the "Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum", which is also recommended for families.

Aichi Prefecture is known as one of the leading ceramic production areas in Japan due to the high quality of its clay, and pottery production has been active since ancient times, including the Sanage kilns, which existed in the central part of the prefecture from the 5th to 14th centuries, and the Atsumi kilns, which flourished at the tip of the Atsumi Peninsula from the 12th to 13th centuries. In particular, Seto ware, for which kiln sites dating back to the 10th century have been excavated, and Tokoname ware, which is believed to have begun around the 12th century, are both among the "Six Old Kilns of Japan.

Various ceramic products are produced in the prefecture, including Seto-yaki in Seto City, from which the Japanese word "setomono" is derived, Tokoname-yaki, which produces a wide range of products from teapots to sanitary ware, Western tableware and fine ceramics produced in and around Nagoya City, cloisonne ware, and Sanshu tiles produced in Takahama City. The region is also active in the production of ceramics by ceramic artists.

The Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum opened on June 1, 1978 as a project to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Aichi prefectural government in Seto City, Aichi Prefecture, which is one of the largest pottery areas in Japan. welcomed

Japan's largest collection of ceramics

The building, designed by architect Yoshiro Taniguchi, houses seven exhibition halls where temporary and permanent exhibitions are held.

First, go to the main building in the center of the site. In the main building, there are exhibition rooms for permanent exhibitions and special exhibitions held five times a year.

The permanent exhibition introduces the history of Japanese ceramics from the Jomon period to the present day, foreign ceramics, contemporary ceramics, and old kiln ceramics materials from all over Japan. In addition to the over 7,000 exhibits, the point is that the ceramics on display are all real, not replicas.

The Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum is located in Seto City, the town of pottery, and exhibits a wealth of Seto ceramic materials. Visitors can view ceramics from the Sanage kiln, which is believed to be the origin of Seto ceramics, dating back to the 5th century, as well as masterpieces from the Momoyama period such as Kizeto, Setoguro, Shino, and Oribe, which developed along with the tea ceremony.

The permanent exhibition features ceramics not only from Japan but also from around the world. Visitors can view ceramics from all over the world, including ancient and modern ceramics from China and Korea, as well as ceramics from Europe, South America, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia. It was very interesting to see the distinctive designs and colors of ceramics from different countries and places.

Indigo on white, hand-painted flower and bird pattern plate (Iran/Kuchiba), late 17th century

Large dish of flower basket design in underglaze blue, Arita / Japan, Late 17th century

For example, the above picture plate is finished using the "Sometsuke" technique. Even if the same technique is used, the atmosphere is totally different just by using different patterns. It is one of the pleasures to appreciate them while considering the characteristics of each country.