Cochin ware

The English term "Cochin" derives from the Taiwanese pronunciation Jiāozhǐ (交趾), which was used to denote Vietnam (Vietnamese: Giao-chỉ).

At that time, Cochin ware consisted mainly of decorations for the walls and roof ridges of temples, including human figures, animals, birds, and flowers in bright, glossy colors.

Today, there are only a handful of craftspeople who still possess the traditional Cochin skills, most of whom are in the central-island city of Chiayi.

In the old capital city Kyoto the masters of the tea ceremony esteem Kōchi ware as small figures of animals, fish, flowers, dragons, the phoenix etc.

Initially imported as shimamono, it became a part of Japanese pottery.