An inspired outpouring of colorfully glazed and eccentrically shaped ceramics from Mino was one of the glories of the Momoyama period (1568-1615), remembered as a golden age for all the arts in Japan. Throughout the Edo period (1615-1868), Seto set the standard for fine glazed pottery to such an extent that the term setomono (Seto things) became a synonym for "ceramics.".

Today Seto and Mino continue to flourish. The former clusters of villages have grown into small cities where commercial factories that dispense table and kitchen wares, industrial products, and hi-tech ceramics operate alongside the studios of artist-potters who work in traditional or idiosyncratic styles. Research laboratories investigate new sources of clays and glazes, and training centers educate the potters and technicians of the future.

Seto and Mino Ceramics is the first comprehensive study in English of Seto and Mino wares, and the first in a series of publications on the Japanese collections in the Freer Gallery of Art. Because Charles Lang Freer began buying Japanese ceramics as early as 1892, the Freer Gallery collection has developed a historical depth that is of compelling interest for connoisseurs of Seto and Mino wares.

This volume draws upon current research by Japanese archaeologists and art historians in its exploration of the Freer Gallery's important group of 126 works. Dating from the seventh through the late nineteenth century, the objects illustrate the long history of ceramic production within the Seto-Mino region.