Produced in the historic Mino province, present-day Gifu prefecture, Mino-yaki has a long ceramic history dating back to the 11th century, and since the 19th century has specialised in porcelain for everyday crockery. Mino ceramic production developed in correlation with that of Seto, in the neighbouring Aichi prefecture, which was the location of one of the legendary Six Ancient Kilns of Japan. A variety of styles and glazing techniques were produced in Mino following the Japanese tea ceremony or Chanoyu boom in the Momoyama period (1573–1615), including yellow Kiseto, black Setoguro and Tenmoku glazes, as well as Shino and Oribe wares.
Shino Uwagusuri 志野釉
A generic term for a family of milky white pottery glazes as found on traditional Japanese Shino-yaki wares. The first Shino wares were developed during the Momoyama period in the late 16th century in the Mino and Seto areas, the glaze mainly composed of local ground feldspar and clay producing a satiny white colour – the first white glaze used in Japanese ceramics.
