Ohi Chozaemon Kiln / Ohi Museum (大樋長左衛門窯)

The Ohi kiln has fired tea bowls in Kanazawa since 1666, when the fifth Maeda lord of the Kaga domain invited the tea master Sen Soshitsu to the city and the first Ohi Chozaemon - a close disciple of Ichinyu, fourth-generation head of the Raku family of potters - began working clay dug from the nearby village of Ohi. More than 360 years and eleven generations later, the kiln is led by Ohi Chozaemon XI, still producing the low-fired amber and black raku-style ware the family is known for, made in service of chado, the way of tea, under the guiding principle of wa kei sei jaku - harmony, respect, purity, tranquility. The compound itself has grown well beyond a working kiln: a museum opened in 1990 displays pieces from every generation and has been awarded a Michelin Guide star, an unusual honor for a private museum, while a 2014 gallery designed by architect Kengo Kuma shows contemporary work alongside the historical collection. Several named tea rooms sit on the grounds, including Nennen-An, whose sliding doors carry paintings by artist Hiroshi Senju, and a front garden called Futei, laid out under the supervision of Hiroshi Teshigawara. It amounts to one of the more complete places in Japan to see a single ceramic lineage - kiln, museum, garden and contemporary gallery - under one roof and one family name.