About Toshin Mino Ceramic Art Museum
Toshin Mino Ceramic Art Museum was established in 2015 by Tono Shinkin Bank to preserve and communicate the appeal of Mino-ware ceramics as a central aspect of local culture. The museum’s core purpose is to introduce modern Mino ware to a larger audience. Admission to the museum is free.
Mino ware (Mino-yaki), the term for ceramics produced in the Mino region, encompasses 1,300 years of history and development. Today, Mino ware is particularly known for the Kizeto, Shino, Seto-guro, and Oribe styles that emerged in the late sixteenth century. To this day, the region retains a vibrant ceramics culture that has fostered six Living National Treasures, some of whose works are displayed in this museum. Since 1986, Tono Shinkin Bank has been acquiring exceptional examples of locally produced ceramics and adding them to the museum’s collection.
The museum was designed and built around a longleaf pine tree that stands in the central garden. The route through the circular exhibit passes 47 cases where masterpieces from the collection are displayed alongside seasonally themed exhibitions. On certain special days each year, visitors are invited to experience pieces more closely in the tearoom, where they can enjoy a complimentary cup of matcha green tea served in a Mino-ware tea bowl.