The Setomono Matsuri is the biggest ceramics event in Japan. Each year, approximately half a million visitors attend the festival. This festival is a chance for local artisans to sell their wares, turning a small, quiet city into a bustling locale for one weekend in September.
For centuries, Seto City has been known for its setomono (things made in Seto), a term that is now used to mean ceramics. The earliest evidence of pottery in Japan goes back to 10,000 BCE. However, advancements in techniques developed in China led Kato Shirozaemon, considered to be Japan’s “father of ceramics,” to journey there in the 1200s to learn about the methods and bring them back to Japan. After six years abroad, he settled in what is now known as Seto City, and the techniques he brought back spread throughout the region.
Setomono Matsuri
Photo by: PIXTA/ パームツリー The festival has been held annually since 1932.
The Setomono Matsuri is a festival that began as a celebration to honor Tamikichi Kato, the father of modern Seto ceramics. The festival has been held annually since 1932. Around 200 different merchants set up stalls along the Seto River. Prices vary depending on the pieces however, even the most affordable pieces look like works of art worthy of display. Visit the festival’s information booth to get a festival map that’s available in English to help you navigate through the different stalls. Expect a variety of food stalls, musical performances and a fireworks display to culminate the event.
Museums to Visit During the Festival
Photo by: PIXTA/ 俺の空 The festivals’ stalls end right around the Setogura Museum.
Check out the Setogura Museum to learn about the area’s history of ceramic making and Seto’s railway. Inside, there is a street car and also a full-scale reproduction of the original Owari Seto station. The museum has over 2,000 ceramic pieces on display, from traditional to modern. Additionally, it’s here where you can see a replica of a Meiji Era pottery factory.
Nearby, the Maneki Neko Museum celebrates the ‘beckoning cat’ statues that are said to bring luck to the business owner. Approximately 5,000 works are on display in the museum. You can also paint your own maneki neko figurine there.
Then, take a stroll to the Kamagaki No Komachi Museum (Kamagaki’s Path). The path to the museum is flanked by walls and fences made from supports and spacers used inside a kiln. It is the former home of a potter built during the Meiji Era that has been turned into a museum. It features tools for creating ceramics and examples of hongyo tiles, a style of tile from Seto that were the first tiles ever created in Japan.
