Konagasō Pottery Kiln ruins

Located in the hills of eastern Seto, this kiln was built in the Muromachi period and is recorded as having been in use until the early modern era. Some 800 kiln ruins have been discovered around the city of Seto, which for centuries has been one of the major pottery production sites in Japan, and of these 800 kilns, some 100 date from the "old Seto" period. The Konagasō kiln is one of the best-preserved of these kilns, as most have been destroyed or vandalized over the years. The ruins were known since the Edo period and in 1946 this was the first kiln site to be excavated by the Japan Ceramic Association.

Excavations have found that the kiln is a semi-underground structure utilizing the natural slope of the hill. It has a total length of 6.7 meters and maximum width of 3 meters, and is divided into three parts. The firing chamber and combustion chamber are connected by a barrier with six holes located along its bottom. The use of such through-holes is very rare for old Seto kilns.

A large number of shards of Seto ware were discovered in the ash and debris in front of the kiln and were found to be from a wide variety of jars, vases and other objects. The pottery shards were found to be mostly without pattern.

The site is located about 30 minutes on foot from the Meitetsu Seto Line Owari Seto Station.

• List of Historic Sites of Japan (Aichi)

• Seto city official site (in Japanese)
• Aichi prefecture official site