Seto City in Aichi Prefecture is the city where the word "Setomono" (pottery) originated, and is a production area that has been producing pottery for over a thousand years.
Due to its long history, it has been designated as one of the "Six Ancient Kilns of Japan" and a Japanese Heritage Site.
Seto City is divided into four areas where kilns and ceramic artists gather: Horatsu, Akazu, Shinano, and Mizuno. If you're visiting a production area, many people would like to visit the workshops where the pottery is made, but most people are producing pottery on weekdays and closed on weekends.
In Seto, we will introduce you to some potteries and manufacturers that have facilities and galleries attached to their valuable workshops.
A craft gallery opened by Seto Hongyo Kiln, a pottery maker that values the philosophy of folk art
Located in the Hora district of Seto, Seto Hongyo Kiln is a pottery studio that has been producing pottery since before the Edo period, and can be said to be the origin of Seto craftsmanship. All pottery is made by hand using Seto soil and natural glazes. 
Representative examples include stone plates, which are used in everyday life, as well as patterned dishes such as horse-eye plates and straw plates, which are also popular as antiques.
There is a craft gallery right at the entrance, selling not only pottery from Seto Hongyo Kiln but also folk crafts from all over Japan.
At the back of the gallery is the Seto Folk Crafts Museum, a museum of craftsmanship and lifestyles.
Seto Hongyo Kiln has deep ties to folk art, and ceramic artists Shoji Hamada and Bernard Leach visited Seto Hongyo Kiln and highly praised its work.
In 2022, Seto Hongyo Kiln opened the Seto Folk Crafts Museum, a museum of craftsmanship and lifestyle.
The aim is to let people know about the local craftsmanship culture, to show how pottery connects people, and to convey the "lifestyle" of the people behind it.
On the first floor, you can learn about the origins of Seto pottery manufacturing, and outside you can see a climbing kiln that was in use until about 45 years ago.
Handwritten letters from Muneyoshi Yanagi, Kanjiro Kawai, and others are also on display.
Seto Folk Crafts Museum: A Museum of Manufacturing and Lifestyle
Address: 17 Higashihoracho, Seto City, Aichi Prefecture
Closed: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays (open on public holidays)
Business hours: 10:00-16:30 (last admission at 16:00)
Admission fee: Adults 600 yen / High school students and younger 300 yen *Gallery admission is free.
Access: About a 30-minute walk from Owari Seto Station.
Parking: Available
Instagram: setohongyo_hanjiro8th
Oji Kiln, a pottery manufacturer that has been in business since the mid-Edo period
This pottery has been in operation in the Hora area since the Edo period, and has been producing mainly mortars. Shino mortars with their plump texture are a representative work of Oji Kiln.
Since its founding, the company has fired its pottery in climbing kilns, switched to heavy oil in 1968, and now mainly uses gas kilns. The current owner, Souya Kato, is creating works centered on mortars in sizes suitable for the modern era, using natural glazes while tracing the history of Oji Kiln.
The gallery attached to the workshop was originally a workshop where tatara molding and finishing was done.
The gallery that was created after the shop was renovated offers a wide variety of pottery, from past works to current new pieces, including mortars, plates, teacups, and vases.
In addition, the Oji Kiln workshop, "Moro," has been designated a tangible cultural property of Seto City. It was built in 1900 and has almost no windows to prevent it from drying out.
The workshop is like a museum, but it is still in active use.
Starting Saturday, September 15th, the museum will be open every Saturday in addition to weekdays, so be sure to stop by.
Oji kiln
Address: 62 Higashihoracho, Seto City, Aichi Prefecture
Closed: Sundays and Mondays (Saturday opening starts September 13, 2025)
Business hours: 10:00 - 16:00
Access: About 30 minutes on foot from Owari Seto Station.
Parking: Available
Instagram: oujigama
Opening in 2025. "Gallery Ukibanashi" by ceramic artist Ryo Fukada
Ceramic artist Ryo Fukada is fascinated by glazes, which give pottery its color, and through extensive research he creates a variety of colorful vessels.
Gallery Ukibanashi is located in a building that was originally used as a hardware store by Ryo's great-grandfather, and has been renovated into a workshop, with the aim of opening as a gallery in 2025. It's easy to spot as it's a very colorful building in blue and red.
This gallery is open irregularly, about four times a month. It displays the plates, sake vessels, accessories, and other items that Ryo has been making since the beginning. On open days, if you ask, you can also tour the workshop next door. The shocking pink walls and the color of the kiln are a must-see, as they are a burst of Ryo's personality!
Gallery Utensil Talk
Address: 1-18 Higashihonmachi, Seto City, Aichi Prefecture
Closed: Please check our SNS
Business hours: Please check our social media
Access: 9 minutes walk from Owari Seto Station
Parking: None (there is a paid parking lot nearby)
Instagram: ryo_clay
Shingama, a kiln that produces the traditional craft "Seto Sometsuke ware"
Shinano district is located in the mountains of Seto city. It is a tranquil place where you can hear the birds singing, and the blue and white porcelain kiln "Shin Kama" was founded in 1919. Here, they produce "Seto Blue and White Ware", a traditional craft in which pure white fabric is painted with indigo blue gosu .
There is a gallery right next to the workshop, and when you enter the shop, you will hear a doorbell and a craftsman will come to you. Inside the gallery, various series of Shin Kama pottery and accessories are lined up.
Shin Kiln
Address: 330 Nakashinanocho, Seto City, Aichi Prefecture
Closed: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays
Business hours: 10:00-12:00, 13:00-16:00
access:
[By car] Exit the Tokaido Loop Road at Seto Shinano Interchange, turn left at the traffic light and drive about 500m.
[Bus] From the Seto Station bus stop in the rotary at Owari Seto Station, take the "1H via Furuseto to Shinano Bus Center" or the "2H via Furuseto from Seto Station to Kamishinano." Get off at the "Shinano" bus stop and walk for about 5 minutes.
Parking: Available
Instagram: ceramic_studio_singama
Ceramic Japan is a ceramics manufacturer that brings designers' ideas to life with Seto's techniques
Ceramic Japan is a ceramics manufacturer located in the Shinano area of Seto that was founded in 1973. The company focuses on collaborations with designers, collaborates with potteries in Seto, and also handles manufacturing in its own workshop.
Since its founding, the company has been keen to exhibit at international ceramics exhibitions, and has produced many products that have received high praise worldwide, including some that have been selected for the permanent collection of MoMA (Museum of Modern Art, New York).
You can generally visit the showroom on the company's business days, and detailed dates and times are posted on Instagram. It's best to contact them in advance if you plan to visit. When you arrive, please speak to a nearby staff member.
Ceramic Japan
Address: 60-4 Nakashinanocho, Seto City, Aichi Prefecture
Closed days & business hours: Please check Instagram for opening hours.
access:
[Car] 2 minutes from Seto Shinano Interchange on the Tokaido Loop Road.
[Bus] From the Seto Ekimae bus stop in the rotary at Owari Seto Station, take the "2H via Furuseto bound for Kamishinano" or "2 Seto Ekimae via Furuseto bound for Kamishinano." Get off at the "Nakashinano" bus stop and walk for about 5 minutes.
Parking: Available
Instagram: ceramicjapan
If you're looking for modern tableware that will make your food stand out, try Tsubakigama
The kiln was opened in the Mizuno area at the foot of Jokoji Temple in 1979. Paying homage to "Koseto," the first pottery in Japan to use ash glaze, the beautiful "Tsubakigama Green" is created by using natural ash glaze on porcelain.
The modern shape, originally carved by the owner, Eiji Hayashi, makes it suitable for both Japanese and Western cuisine. There is also a gallery located close to the workshop, so please call before visiting.
Tsubaki kiln
Address: 531 Mizuhokucho, Seto City, Aichi Prefecture
Closed: Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays (please call before visiting)
Business hours: 10:00-16:00
Phone number: 0561-48-1265
access:
[Car] 15 minutes by car from Seto Akatsu IC on the Tokai Loop Expressway
[Bus] From Shin-Seto Station, take Meitetsu Bus No. 22 or No. 23 via Mizuno Danchi Nakamizuno Station and get off at Setomizuno Post Office. Walk 1 km.
Parking: Available
Instagram: tsubakigama2018
Kitagama Kasen, a long-established pottery manufacturer in Akazu, Seto, with a history of approximately 370 years
Akazu is the region where the traditional craft "Akatsu ware" is produced. What makes Akazu ware unique is that it was the first of Japan's Six Ancient Kilns to use the full-scale technique of applying glazes. Starting with ash glazes in the Heian period, iron glazes and old Seto glazes appeared in the Kamakura period, and by the early Edo period, seven types of glaze techniques had been established.
At Kitagama Kasen , they use high-quality clay from Seto and traditional techniques and glazes that have been passed down through the generations to create pottery that is both enjoyable and enriching for everyday life. The 12th generation owner, Hiroshige Kato, uses the techniques he has cultivated through his experience to produce pottery at an incredibly fast pace and offers it at a reasonable price, so that more people can know about it.
Kitagama Kasen
Address: 71 Akazucho, Seto City, Aichi Prefecture
Closed days: Please check the calendar on our website . Business hours: 10:00 - 17:00
Access [Car] Approximately 7 minutes by car from Seto Akatsu IC
[Bus] From Owari Seto Station, take Meitetsu Bus "10 via Furuseto bound for Akatsu" or "11 via Ichirizuka Taishicho bound for Akatsu. " Get off at the "Omatsu" bus stop and walk for 5 minutes.
Parking: Available
Instagram: kasenpottery
If you want to know more about the potteries in the Akatsu area, check out the "Akatsu Kiln Village Tour" website.
The Akazu district is the area in Seto with the highest concentration of potteries. The website for the " Akatsu Kiln Village Tour " open workshop event lists whether or not participating potteries are usually open for tours. Please check here as well.
There are still many workshops in Seto, but many of them require connections and courage. First of all, be sure to visit the workshop galleries we have introduced.
