ceramics capital for 1300 years
 
Seto City-a ceramics center with 1300 years of history and tradition. Located at the center of the Chubu region twentyfive kilometers northeast of Nagoya, blessed in its natural surroundings, Seto is nestled in the low mountains of the Owari Hills.
In the hilly earth surrounding the town proper are found layers of soil containing good quality porcelain clay for the making of porcelain, and silica for use in manufacturing glass. Spread out in valleys to the north and east are lush forests for wood fuel. Taking advantage of this natural bounty, glazed pottery was being fired here as early as 1300 years ago.
Owarimeishozue
" Depictions of Famous Owari Sites"
The pottery made at Seto was of the highest level of skill and artistry, and was favored by the nobility in Kyoto and the Buddhist hierarchy. Seto was already established as one of the "Rokkoyo" (the six ceramics producing districts of Japan, with over 1000 years history) by the Kamakura period of the 13th century. Starting in the Edo period in the 17th century, Seto developed into a major production center for ceramic products ranging from everyday goods used by the common people to the most elegant works of art, and the name Seto-mono("article of Seto")became synonymous with pottery.
In the Meiji and Taisho periods, a great number of Seto ceramics were shown in international expositions in the West, starting with their first entry in the Vienna Exhibition of 1873, winning Gold Medals and earning a high reputation abroad to match that here in Japan.
This tradition of the art and culture of ceramics, together with a readiness for international exchange, has been passed on uninterruptedly to the present day. Also, in the field of contemporary ceramic art, outstanding works such as the ceramic artwork of Pablo Picasso or the terra cotta of Isamu Noguchi, can be found in the city.