One of the oldest of Japans six ancient kilns, the distinctive stoneware native to the Bizen area of Japan has been made since the Heian period (12^th century).

Easily recognizable by its characteristic reddish brown colour, hardness and usual lack of glazing, the appearance of Bizen pottery is entirely dependent on the conditions in which it is fired, with varying placements of the pottery pieces within the kiln creating a rich array of reddish tones and additional introduced materials such as rice straw and resinous woods producing red and purplish brown scorch marks.

Many of the forms seen in contemporary Bizen ceramics are virtually unchanged since its heyday during the Muromachi, Momoyama and Edo periods.

                                                                      Signed Bizen Pottery Mizusashi