Katō Hiroshige from Kasen Kiln working with clay

Katō Hiroshige (Kasen Kiln)

Katō Hiroshige (加藤裕重) is a 14th generation potter, and the 12th head of Kitagama Kasen, based in the Akazu hills in Seto. Katō-san specialises in traditional Mino and Seto styles such as Shino and Oribe, as well as the Akazu-yaki specialty of Ofukei. Katō-san specializes in traditional Mino and Seto styles such as Shino and Oribe, as well as the Akazu-yaki specialty of Ofukei. In addition, Katō-san loves developing new styles and pursuing his own unique artistic expression.

In the early Edo period in the 1600s, Katō-san's family was one of the four commissioned by the Tokugawa Shogunate in order to fire tea ceremony utensils for Nagoya Castle. These Oniwa-yaki (garden fired) wares for the Nagoya Tokugawa developed into a style called Ofukei (御深井). His family's kiln is the only remaining of those original four.

Katō-san prides himself on carrying on this unique legacy, both in aesthetics and practice, preserving traditional techniques and making all of his clay and glazes himself from locally-sourced materials (often from the hill behind the kiln).

Meet the Producer

12 products

A handmade ceramic tea bowl with a blue glazed finish and a natural beige clay foot, set against a neutral textured background.
Overhead view of a blue Ofuke-glazed spouted chawan showing pale green glaze pooling in the bowl.
Katō Hiroshige (Kasen Kiln)
Blue-Green Ofukei Spouted Chawan
$124.00
Sold Out
Kuro-Oribe Spouted Matcha Bowl 350ml - front view showing the hand-painted iron design panel
Kuro-Oribe Spouted Matcha Bowl 350ml - three-quarter view showing the iron-painted design
Katō Hiroshige (Kasen Kiln)
Kuro-Oribe Spouted Matcha Bowl - 350ml
$124.00
Sold Out
Kutsu-gata Kuro-Oribe chawan with abstract dark brushwork painted on a crackled bare clay panel.
Overhead view of a black chawan showing spiral throwing marks inside and the painted panel at its rim.
Katō Hiroshige (Kasen Kiln)
Kutsu-gata Kuro-Oribe Chawan
$198.00
Sold Out
Blue-and-white vertically striped teacup, upright front view on a tatami mat.
Blue-and-white striped teacup tilted to show its interior, on a tatami mat.
Katō Hiroshige (Kasen Kiln)
Ofukei Tokusa Yunomi - 200ml
$42.00
Sold Out
Pink crackle-glazed ceramic teacup with brown floral motif, front view on a tatami mat.
Small pink crackle-glazed ceramic teacup with a brown floral motif and green-glazed rim, on a tatami mat.
Katō Hiroshige (Kasen Kiln)
Classic Oribe Yunomi - 210ml
$42.00
Nezumi Shino chawan with grey-blue glaze over rust tones and stamped hexagonal blossom motifs.
Overhead view of a grey-blue Shino chawan with rust-toned rim and small hexagon motifs.
Katō Hiroshige (Kasen Kiln)
Nezumi Shino Chawan
$112.00
Hira-gata Aka-Oribe Chawan - front view of the wide red-orange matcha bowl
Hira-gata Aka-Oribe Chawan - styled shot of the bowl with whisked matcha beside a kettle on a tatami setting
Katō Hiroshige (Kasen Kiln)
Hira-gata Aka-Oribe Chawan
$98.00
Sold Out
Ao-Oribe matcha bowl (chawan) with hand-painted Mt. Fuji and green Oribe glaze - front view
Ao-Oribe matcha bowl (chawan) with Mt. Fuji motif - front view, slight angle
Katō Hiroshige (Kasen Kiln)
Mt. Fuji Ao-Oribe Chawan
$72.00
Sold Out
Black Kuro-Oribe yunomi with a lily of the valley motif brush-painted on an unglazed clay panel.
Overhead view of a black yunomi showing its dark glazed interior and painted side panel.
Katō Hiroshige (Kasen Kiln)
Lily of the Valley Kuro-Oribe Yunomi - 150ml
$42.00
Sold Out
Akazu-yaki Ao-Oribe Teacup - 100ml - front view of the green Oribe-glazed teacup with its painted abstract design
Akazu-yaki Ao-Oribe Teacup - 100ml - front view of the Ao-Oribe teacup
Katō Hiroshige (Kasen Kiln)
Akazu-yaki Ao-Oribe Teacup - 100ml
$42.00
Sold Out
Blue Cloud Ofukei Mug - front three-quarter view of the flared mug with cloudy blue-and-cream glaze and handle to the right
Blue Cloud Ofukei Mug - front view with the handle to the right
Katō Hiroshige (Kasen Kiln)
Blue Cloud Ofukei Mug - 210ml
$48.00
Sold Out