Kotō ware

Kotō ware (湖東焼, Kotō-yaki) is a type of Japanese porcelain traditionally made in Hikone, Shiga in the former Ōmi Province.

The Ii lords of Hikone Domain became the patrons and continued this tradition until the Meiji restoration in the years Tenpō 13 ~ Bunkyū 2 (1842 ~ 1862).

[2] The 15th lord, Ii Naosuke, was an enthusiastic and accomplished practitioner of the Japanese tea ceremony in the Sekishūryū style.

Lord Ii Naosuke was assassinated during the Sakuradamon Incident (1860), the downfall of the family began, and the patronage of the production of kotō ware was gradually lost, ceasing in 1895.

[3] The kiln (kama-ba ato (窯場跡)) has been inscribed by the government into the List of Historic Sites of Japan (Shiga).