A History Dating Back to the Edo Period and a Major Turning Point

Maruoyaki was founded in 1845 (the 2nd year of the Koka era). Its origins lie in making water jugs and clay pipes as a side job during the agricultural off-season. During the time of the third-generation master, it's said that he continued making pottery alongside farming and even produced simple cooking pots.

Later, the third-generation master, Takeo Kanazawa, conducted research at the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce's Industrial Research Institute. From 1937, he moved to Mashiko, established the Tochigi Prefecture Ceramic Art Guidance Center, and poured his efforts into founding a Mashiko ware pottery company. When the war ended, he returned to Amakusa to focus on his family's pottery business.

"From its inception, Maruoyaki made functional items for daily life, like clay pipes and large jars (kame). As times changed and demand dwindled, the third-generation master shifted to making everyday tableware, drawing on the folk pottery (mingei) tradition he cultivated in Mashiko. The shapes we create may change with the times, but our underlying philosophy of 'making pottery for daily life' remains the same."

In the 1980s, the fifth-generation master started creating pottery himself, transforming the studio from one that 'hired artisans' to one where 'the master himself creates.'

"Kazuhiro Kanazawa, who succeeded as the fifth-generation head, envisioned a studio where everything was handmade through a division of labor. Based on the vessel's design and plan, the work was divided into shaping, decorating, and kiln-loading. It's crucial to adapt to the changing times, but as the ones carrying on the legacy, we're faced with a mountain of questions about 'what to preserve and what to pursue' for Maruoyaki (laughs)."