Koto ware is porcelain made in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture. The origin of its name comes from the name of an area located on the east coast of Lake Biwa called Koto.
It is believed that it originated in Honryo, Hakone Domain (currently Hikone City), in the Bunsei era of the mid-Edo period, when Kinuya Hanbei invited a potter from Arita, who made Imari ware. Koto ware developed under the Feudal Ii Domain. However, when the feudal lord, Ii Naosuke, who was also chief minister of the shogunate, was assassinated, the workers at the pottery dispersed, and their business instantly declined. In the mid-Meiji period, they shut down.
At that time, they primarily produced porcelain that was mainly made from Amakusa porcelain stone. They produced many items made with gorgeous techniques, such as blue-and-white painting, multi-color painting, and gold painting, but they also produced pottery made with local potter’s clay.
After the war, they had an opportunity to restore Koto ware. In 1986, a kiln was established and efforts have been put into restoring it.
