Tokoname, Ceramic production city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Tokoname is a ceramic production city on the western coast of the Chita Peninsula in Aichi Prefecture, facing Ise Bay. The city covers approximately 55.90 square kilometers and has a population of around 57,900 people.
During the Kamakura period, more than 3,000 ceramic kilns were built in this region, establishing the city as a center of Japanese pottery. The area remained under the control of the Owari Domain throughout the Edo period.
The name of this pottery town derives from the old Japanese word for "smooth clay", reflecting the fine texture of the local material that potters have shaped for centuries. Visitors walking through the ceramic quarter can see traditional workshops where artisans still throw clay on wheels and fire pieces in wood-burning kilns.
The city is accessible from Nagoya via the Meitetsu train line, and Chubu Centrair International Airport is also located here. The ceramic workshops and historic kilns are mainly in the old town district, which can be explored on foot.
The street called Dokan-zaka is paved with numerous ceramic pieces embedded into the paths and walls. The city is also the largest producer of Maneki-neko figurines in Japan, those beckoning cat statues seen in shops and restaurants.
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