Rihei ware is pottery made in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture. It originated when Lord Matsudaira Yorishige, the founder of the Takamatsu Domain in Sanuki, invited a potter from Kyoto called Morishima Sakubei Shigetoshi and had him make oniwa ware. They produced Kyo-ware-style tea bowls. Rihei ware is also known as Takamatsu ware, Obayashi ware, Rihei ware, Iwaseo ware, and Inariyama ware.
In 1647, he changed his name to Kita Rihei Shigetoshi, and established a kiln to the north of the Ritsurin Villa, the secondary residence of the Takamatsu Domain. Since then, the descendants of the Kita family have succeeded the name “Rihei.” Ever since the era of the third-generation head, Rihei Shigeharu, they have been stamping their pieces with the character “Taka,” but with a gable radical on top.
In the era of the ninth-generation Rihei, the kiln was shut down due to the abolition of feudal domains and establishment of prefectures, which took place during the Meiji Restoration. However, the 11th-generation head went to Kyoto and trained under Takahashi Dohachi. He changed his name to Kita Rihei, and restored the kiln in 1900 in its current location, the north gate of the Ritsurin Garden. Currently, the kiln continues to operate under the 14th-generation Kita Rihei (Yoko).
