Seto ware

A general term for ceramics fired in the Seto area of ​​Aichi Prefecture. This important kiln formed the backbone of Japan's ceramic history and played a major role in the rise of the pottery industry. The development of pottery can be broadly divided into the Middle Ages and the modern era, forming two peaks.

Medieval Seto ware, commonly known as Koseto, was first opened in the first half of the 13th century. It is a descendant of the Sanage kilns, which were built in the Heian period in a wide area including the current Nagoya city, Nisshin city, Miyoshi town, and Togo town, and the legend of the founder of the pottery, Kato Shirozaemon Kagemasa, roughly coincides with the results of archaeological research on the ancient Seto kilns. In the Kamakura period, it developed into the only kiln that fired glazed pottery using the kiln-building techniques and glazing methods that had been used since the Sanage kiln, and it stood out from the rest in particular by imitating the celadon, white porcelain, and yellow-glazed pottery imported from China during the Song and Yuan dynasties. The products were mainly tableware, storage vessels, religious implements, etc., but in the early 14th century, they copied the popular tea utensils that followed the custom of drinking tea that was introduced from China, and in addition to the ash glaze that had been used until then, iron-colored black-brown glazes were also developed, and the range of production expanded dramatically. This was the heyday of medieval Seto ware, and most of the products were distributed in eastern Japan, but the fact that some of them were shipped overseas for the first time was a groundbreaking event in the history of pottery.

Furthermore, in the mid-14th century, entering the Muromachi period, glazes became more transparent and stable, wheel-throwing was introduced in addition to the previous clay string molding method, and many tea utensils were fired in addition to daily utensils such as bowls, plates, and bowls, but even excavated and handed down items are not blessed with excellent works. In the late Muromachi period, large kilns appeared to replace the pit kilns that had been used until then, and imitations of Chinese Ming dynasty pottery were produced, but this new type of kiln had the effect of revitalizing Mino ware, and the original Seto ware went into decline, leading to a decline commonly known as the Setoyama Dispersion. One theory is that potters fled to Mino to escape the flames of war at the time, but it can also be said that the authority of traditional pottery, centered on teapots and tea caddies, was maintained and that this state of affairs continued until the 17th century, as yellow Seto glaze was born from ash glaze and brownish-brown Koseto glaze was born from amber glaze at this time, and Seto tea caddies that imitated Chinese tea caddies also appeared.

While the old Seto pottery techniques of the Kamakura and Muromachi periods are called "hongyo," the porcelain making that revived in the late Edo period (19th century) is called "shinsei." Meanwhile, the decline of Seto kilns in the mid-Edo period (18th century) was not reversed, and there was no sign of any notable activity. The stroke of luck that saved the industry came when Kato Tamikichi (1772-1824), revered as the father of porcelain, studied porcelain making at various kilns in Hizen, Kyushu, from 1804 (Bunka 1) to 1807, and returned home to bring with him the new blue and white porcelain making method. In addition, Seto ware, which gained the protection of the feudal domain, was rapidly revived, and blue and white porcelain became the mainstream in Seto, giving birth to such master craftsmen as Kawamoto Jihyoe (Sendo) and Kato Shuntai (1802-77). After that, Seto kilns survived the chaos that came with the loss of the clan's patronage during the Meiji Restoration, and opened up overseas markets by exhibiting at the Vienna World Exposition in 1872 (Meiji 5). They developed coal-fired kilns and down-turned round kilns, and established a mass production system, becoming the center of the pottery industry in both name and reality, to the extent that it became the origin of the word "setomono" (ceramics). A well-known contemporary artist is Kato Tokuro.

[Yoshiaki Yabe]

"Complete Collection of Japanese Ceramics 9: Seto and Mino" edited by Shoichi Narazaki, Seizo Hayashiya, et al. (1976, Chuokoron-Shinsha) " ▽ "Japanese Art 43: Seto, Bizen, and Suzu" by Shoichi Narazaki (1976, Shogakukan)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

愛知県瀬戸市一帯で焼かれた陶磁器の総称。日本の陶磁史の骨格をつくるとともに、製陶業の隆盛に大きな役割を果たしてきた重要な窯である。作陶の展開は、大きく中世と近現代とに二分され、二つの峰を形成している。

　中世の瀬戸焼は俗に古瀬戸(こせと)とよばれるもので、13世紀前半に開窯した。これは平安時代に現在の名古屋市、日進市、三好町、東郷町など広範な地域に築かれた猿投(さなげ)窯の系譜を引くものであるが、開窯は加藤四郎左衛門景正(かげまさ)とする陶祖伝説は、瀬戸古窯の考古学研究成果とおおむね時期的には一致している。鎌倉時代には猿投窯以来の築窯技術と施釉(せゆう)法を用いて施釉陶を焼く唯一の窯として発展し、とくに中国から輸入された宋(そう)・元代の青磁・白磁・黄釉陶を倣製(ほうせい)して一頭地を抜く存在であった。製品はおもに飲食器、貯蔵用器、宗教用具などであるが、14世紀初頭になると、これも中国から招来された喫茶の風習に従って人気を集めた茶具を写し、それまでの灰釉に加えて鉄呈色の黒褐釉もくふうされ、その作域は一挙に拡大した。この時期が中世瀬戸焼の最盛期で、製品のほとんどは東日本に流布したが、初めてその一部が海外へ運ばれたことは陶芸史上画期的なできごととなった。

　さらに14世紀中ごろ、室町時代に入ると、釉(うわぐすり)は透明度も増して安定し、それまでの粘土紐(ひも)成形法に加えてろくろ成形が導入され、碗(わん)・皿・鉢などの日用雑器のほか数多くの茶具が焼かれたが、出土品・伝世品を含めて優作には恵まれない。室町後期にはそれまでの窖窯(あながま)にかわる大窯が登場し、中国明(みん)代の陶器を倣製したが、この新形式の窯はむしろ美濃(みの)焼を活性化させる結果を生み、本家の瀬戸焼は衰微して俗に瀬戸山離散とよばれる凋落(ちょうらく)をみたとされる。当時の兵火を逃れて陶工たちが美濃入りしたとする説もあるが、このころ灰釉(かいゆう)から黄瀬戸釉が、また飴(あめ)釉から茶褐色の古瀬戸釉が生まれ、唐物(からもの)茶入れを写した瀬戸茶入れも現れるなど、実際には茶壺(ちゃつぼ)や茶入れを中心にした伝統的製陶の権威が守られ、この状態が17世紀まで貫かれたとの見方もできる。

　鎌倉・室町時代の古瀬戸の陶技が「本業」とよばれるのに対し、江戸後期（19世紀）を迎えて復活した磁器づくりを「新製」という。その間、江戸中期（18世紀）の瀬戸窯の低迷は覆うべくもなく、とくにみるべき活動の形跡がない。起死回生の一打となったのは、磁祖と尊崇される加藤民吉（1772―1824）が1804年（文化1）から07年まで、磁器の製法を九州肥前(ひぜん)の諸窯で学び、帰郷して新生染付磁器製法をもたらしたことである。加えて藩の保護を得た瀬戸焼は急速に蘇生(そせい)し、染付が瀬戸の主流となって川本治兵衛(じひょうえ)（仙堂(そせんどう)）、加藤春岱(しゅんたい)（1802―77）らの名工を生んだ。以後、明治維新による藩の庇護(ひご)喪失の混乱を乗り切った瀬戸窯は、1872年（明治5）のウィーン万国博覧会への出品を機に海外市場を開拓し、石炭窯や倒炎式丸窯などを開発して機械化を図り、量産体制を確立して、いわゆる「せともの」の語源となるほど、名実ともに製陶業の中心地となって現在に至っている。現代作家では加藤唐九郎が著名である。

［矢部良明］

『楢崎彰一・林屋晴三他編『日本陶磁全集9　瀬戸・美濃』（1976・中央公論社）』▽『楢崎彰一著『日本の美術43　瀬戸・備前・珠洲』（1976・小学館）』

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