Teabowl, Japan, Agano kilns, Kamanokuchi kiln, Momoyama or Edo period, 1610-1630, stoneware, rice-straw-ash glaze - Freer Gallery of Art - DSC04774

Agano ware has its beginnings in 1602, when artisans arrived in Japan from the Kingdom of Joseon in Korea by invitation from the daimyo of Kokura Domain. The beginnings of its production was supported by Hosokawa Sansai, who was otherwise known as the daimyō Hosokawa Tadaoki. It was originally associated with the tea ceremony. Agano Kawara ware (上野香春焼) is a type of Agano ware traditionally made in Kawara, Fukuoka Prefecture.