When the Matsuda Kizan (Matsuda Shiyo 1889-1961) visited Minoh in the northern part of Osaka Prefecture in 1921, she was shown the autumn leaves of the area, and wondered how she could express these vivid vermilion colors in ceramics. After repeated trial and error, she completed a Raku-ware-style work of marbled red glaze, which was named Minoh-ware by Kobayashi Ichizo at her first solo exhibition at Hankyu Department Store in 1937, and is the origin of its name.
Since then, the second generation of Matsuda Kizan has inherited that traditional technique (the second generation’s new work is not marbled, but has developed into being dark red all over.)
