Did you know that Japan still has pottery production sites that have continued without interruption for over 800 years?
These are known as the Six Ancient Kilns (Rokkoyō): Seto, Tokoname, Echizen, Shigaraki, Tamba, and Bizen. Far from being six isolated regions, they form a connected network that shaped Japan’s ceramic culture—and continues to do so today.
The Six Ancient Kilns are Japan’s oldest continuously operating ceramic centers, first identified as a group by scholar Fujio Koyama in the late 1940s.
In 2017, they were officially recognized as a Japan Heritage site under the title:
“Six Ancient Kilns – Ceramics Born and Raised in Japan.” (Japan Heritage website)
This designation highlights their value not only as craft traditions, but also as cultural landscapes where pottery remains a living part of daily life.
Representative vessels from the Six Ancient Kilns
Courtesy of Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum
Bizen’s lineage reaches back to Sue ware, a high-fired gray stoneware introduced during the Kofun period (3rd–6th c.). From Sue, Bizen developed in the Heian period (8th–12th c.), preserving the unglazed, iron-rich, and flame-marked surfaces that make it so distinctive today.
Seto emerged from the earlier Sanage kilns, becoming one of the first regions in Japan to master glaze firing. From the late Heian to Kamakura periods, Seto produced jars, bottles, and bowls with green ash glazes directly inspired by Chinese ceramics, laying the groundwork for later porcelain innovation.
Tokoname began in the Heian period by producing large jars, water vessels, and storage urns. These massive containers were transported by sea to many parts of Japan, spreading both Tokoname products and technical influence. Its scale of production created Japan’s largest cluster of kiln sites, and its techniques inspired other emerging centers.
The technologies of Seto and Tokoname influenced the rise of:
Rather than six independent regions, the Six Ancient Kilns represent a chain of transmission:
Sue ware → Sanage → Seto / Tokoname → Echizen → Tamba → Shigaraki
with Bizen directly linked to Sue ware.
When the Six Ancient Kilns were recognized as a Japan Heritage site in 2017, it was not only about preserving old techniques. The designation emphasized:
This recognition has brought new visibility to pottery towns that might otherwise be seen as “local industries,” reframing them as part of Japan’s national heritage and global cultural assets.
Historical lineage of the Six Ancient Kilns
Courtesy of Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum
At the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, a timeline panel illustrates this story clearly:
This visualization makes clear that the Six Ancient Kilns are not a random grouping—they are a system of interlinked traditions.
Across the world, pottery traditions have risen and fallen. It is exceptionally rare to find six distinct yet continuous ceramic centers still active after eight centuries.
In Craft Notes #004, I’ll share my summer visits to three of these kiln regions—Seto, Shigaraki, and Tokoname — with photos and impressions from the workshops and towns themselves. Stay tuned!
