Dai ware is pottery and porcelain made in Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture. It is made near Dai hot spring and is part of the Hanamaki hot-spring village. It originated in 1895, when Sugimura Kanbei discovered potter’s clay in the area, and used the ruins of the kiln, where the Yunosawa ware (Ozegawa ware) used to be made, to make porcelain. He used the hot-spring water to precipitate the metals that are inside the clay, and succeeded in creating white porcelain that has no impurities.
After that, Sugimura Kanbei sold the hot spring that he owned, and invested that money into learning pottery. In 1908, he invited a potter from Gifu Prefecture called Kawakami Junzo. He fully mastered the techniques, and with support from the prefecture, he went on a tour in Gifu and Aichi Prefectures, two of the most advanced areas, and worked on further raising his production. the white porcelain was especially up to standard with advanced areas. In 1922, he won a prize in the Peace Exposition, and his masterpiece became a cultural property of Hanamaki City.
With the start of the Showa era, he started making pottery as well. Dai ware drew attention as a specialty of the hot spring, and became widely known for souvenirs by nearby inns.
