In many ceramic centers around Japan a common thread in the community is not only a particular style but also a last name. For instance, if you walked into the middle of Tachikui, where Tanba is made, and shouted "Ichino-san!" almost all the houses would empty.
The same holds true in Bizen, where there are plenty of Mori and Kimura. Tradition is pivotal here and the handing down of names, as well as kiln secrets, from generation to generation is strongly rooted in the pottery world.
In the area around Tajimi and Toki cities in Gifu, where Mino wares are fired, the family name Kato is king -- one of the reasons being that the founder of the first Mino kiln in the hills of Toki was Kato Kagemitsu (1513-1585). That was in 1574.
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