Oujigama is part of the ceramic heritage of the Seto region of central Japan.  Ceramics have been made in Seto over an unbroken one thousand year history.  Oujigama has been active since the late 18 century, a period just before production in the region shifted largely from stoneware to porcelain.  At this point ceramic items in Japan were often referred to as ‘Setomono’ (‘things from Seto’), an artefact in language that remains.  The roots of Seto ceramics are in its soil, with some of the country’s most suited geology for pottery.  Onto this natural resource has been built layers of human experience, and Oujigama established itself making mortars and other items for the growing towns.  The workshop of the kiln, built at the turn of the 20th century, is one of the finest surviving examples of its type.   It is here that the Kato family have sought to keep the flame alive. A major moment was in 1968, when a decision was made to cease production in a fourteen chamber wood fired kiln - something recorded in a film made at the time (and shown at Cannes and elsewhere).  Since then works at Oujigama have been fired in the large chamber of an oil-fired kiln, a method too that has become rare.  Another major recent moment was when circumstances led the business to pass to Soya Kato in his mid-twenties.   He has sought to apply the kiln’s heritage and traditional methods to a contemporary setting.  The handmade warmth of items made in the Oujigama kiln, hence continue to reach users that value their utility and style.