Zeze-yaki (膳所焼) is one of the classic “Enshū Nanagura” (遠州七窯, Kobori Enshū’s Seven Kilns) of Japanese tea ceramics .  Historically based in Zeze (now part of Ōtsu, Shiga) on Lake Biwa, it became an official shogunate kiln in the early Edo period under tea master Kobori Enshū, producing tea implements (chaire, mizusashi, etc.) famed for their lightness and elegance.  

Early Zeze pieces were high-quality stoneware made as gifts for daimyō, often bearing special inscriptions (for example “Ooe” or “Haku-un” names cherished by Enshū). Zeze ware is typically very thin and finely turned. A characteristic glaze is a rich iron-brown that may pool into golden-yellow drips or patches – a look preserved to this day.  For example, the Kagerōen chaire pictured above shows the classic dark-brown glaze with a mustard-yellow splash, exactly as 19th-century descriptions note (“dark-brown glaze and a yellow streak”).

After many centuries of activity (and some lapses), Zeze ware nearly vanished by the 19th century.  In 1919 local patron Iwasaki Kenzō (岩崎健三) revived the tradition with help from painter Yamamoto Shunkyo and others .  He re-established the Kagerōen kiln, and his son Iwasaki Shinsada continued building Zeze’s reputation. 

Today Zeze ware is produced by Zeze Ware Kagerōen Co. Ltd., which preserves the old glazes (膳所釉) and forms while also experimenting with new styles.  Modern Kagerōen pieces often remain faithful to traditional tea forms but may include enamel decoration or Western influences.  Collectors value Zeze ware for its link to Enshū aesthetics; in particular, Zeze chaire of the classic form are sought after for tea practice and historical interest.