Kotō-yaki is a type of pottery that was produced in Hikone from the late Edo period to the mid-Meiji period.
In 1829 (Bunsei 12), Hanbei Kinuyaya, a kimono and secondhand clothing merchant from Ishigasaki Village (present-day Furusawa-chō, Hikone City), aimed to introduce the thriving ceramic industry to Hikone. To achieve this, he invited craftsmen of Imari ware from Arita and, together with Heisuke Shimaya, a secondhand clothing merchant from Aburaya-chō in Hikone, and Ubee Nishimura, a warehouse official of the Hikone Domain, established the “Kinuyagama” kiln in Sarashiyama (Sarashiya District) along the Serigawa River, south of Hikone Castle.
In 1842 (Tenpō 13), during the rule of the 14th feudal lord Naosuke Ii, the kiln came under the direct management of the domain.
Kotō-yaki reached its peak during the rule of Naosuke and his successor, the 15th lord Naoaki Ii. However, after Naosuke—who served as Tairō (Chief Minister) of the Tokugawa shogunate—was assassinated outside Sakuradamon Gate of Edo Castle in 1860 (Ansei 7), the political atmosphere within the Hikone Domain changed drastically. Due to growing instability, most of the craftsmen dispersed.
About two years later, the domain kiln was shut down. Although production continued for a time as private kilns, these too had ceased operation by the mid-Meiji period, bringing an end to the tradition of Kotō-yaki.