Mashiko began as a pottery community in the early 1850s when a potter named Keizabura Otsuka discovered excellent clay in the area. Otsuka built the first kiln in Mashiko and he and other potters began producing items such as water pots and teapots for daily life in Japan. Mashiko became one of the leading pottery regions in Japan because of its clay and its location close to Tokyo. In the 1920s Shoji Hamada, who was later recognized as a Living National Treasure, set up shop in Mashiko and promoted the folk art movement (mingei) among the craftspeople there. This focus on beauty in traditional objects helped Mashiko become the pottery and traditional crafts center that it is today.
Click on the links below for more information on the town of Mashiko, its history and the process of creating Mashiko pottery.