The founder of Seikou Kiln (1910 CE–1965 CE) was a Kutani ware artisan from the small farming community of Terai (now Nomi City). He began his work as a craftsman under his father, who supported the family by selling Kutani ware to Shiga Prefecture and other regions. During this period, the vibrant, gold-decorated saishoku-kinrande style by Terai artist Kutani Shozo was in high demand. Yet, the first generation, focused on expressing the beauty of Kutani ware through Japanese pigments, drawing inspiration from the original ko-Kutani techniques, and devoted himself to the study of Japanese paints.

Seikou Kiln’s principles are centered on expressing the heritage of ko-Kutani through Japanese overglaze painting, consistently enhancing the quality of Kutani ware as a craft, and offering its unique elegance at accessible prices. This philosophy has been passed down to the second generation of Seikou (1947 CE–), the third generation (1974 CE–), and continues to guide the company’s product development today.