Produced in the historic Mino province, present-day Gifu prefecture, Mino-yaki has a long ceramic history dating back to the 11th century. Mino ceramic production developed in correlation with that of Seto, in neighbouring Aichi prefecture, where one of the legendary Six Ancient Kilns of Japan was located. A variety of styles and glazing techniques were produced in Mino following the Japanese tea ceremony, or Chanoyu, boom in the Momoyama period (1573–1603), including yellow Kiseto, black Setoguro and Tenmoku glazes, as well as Shino and Oribe wares.
Seto-guro 瀬戸黒
Seto-guro, also known as Hikidashi-guro, Tensho-guro or Rikyu-guro, is a traditional type of Mino-yaki with a hard, glossy jet-black glaze. This is achieved using the hikidashi ("pull out") firing technique, where an iron-rich glaze is applied to the bowl, then pulled out the kiln while red hot and then rapidly cooled (much like Kuro-raku).
