Bizen ware

Bizen ware (備前焼, Bizen-yaki^?) is a type of Japanese pottery traditionally from Bizen province, presently a part of Okayama prefecture.

Bizen ware was traditionally produced in and around the village of Imbe in Bizen province, from where it received its name. It is therefore also known as Imbe or Inbe ware. It has ties to Sue pottery from the Heian period in the 6th century, and made its appearance during the Kamakura period of the 14th century.

Bizen was considered one of the Six Ancient Kilns by the scholar Koyama Fujio. It experienced its peak during the Momoyama period of the 16th century. During the Edo period, the Ikeda lords of the Okayama domain continued to support the kilns and gave special privileges to families who operated them, such as the Kimura, Mori, Kaneshige, Oae, Tongu, and Terami. The rustic quality of Bizen made it popular for use in Japanese tea ceremony. Ware of the early phase is called old Bizen (古備前派 Ko-Bizen).

After modernisation began during the Meiji era of the 19th century, Bizen almost disappeared along with many other traditional crafts. The artist Kaneshige Toyo (1896–1967) helped preserve it in the 1930s during the early Shōwa era by reviving the Momoyama style. For his efforts he was named a Living National Treasure.

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