There is something exciting about taking malleable clay and transforming it into beautiful
works of art. The history of Japanese pottery started more than 1,300 years ago, with traces of earthenware going even further back to the prehistoric Jomon period. This exhibition at the
Suntory Museum of Art, however, will take you back 500 years to Mino, the birthplace of some of Japan’s greatest ceramic wares.
During the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1603), many craftsmen fled from war-torn areas of the Owari province and settled down in Mino in Gifu prefecture. Mino eventually became a ceramics centre as new kilns were being built in a time when new technology and artistic expressions inspired by the tea ceremony were developing. This exhibition, in celebration of Suntory Foundation for the Arts’ 50th anniversary, explores not only the history of Mino tea wares but also the secrets behind their unique beauty.