Iga ware is produced in the Ayama region of the Mie Prefecture near the significant ceramics center Shigaraki. The ware is divided into two periods: old Iga ware, also known as “Ko-Iga,” and modern Iga ware, also known as revival Iga or simply Iga, which started after a one-hundred-twenty-year hiatus. The revival happened around 1750. Unlike Ko-Iga, which was primarily tea wares, revival Iga consisted mainly of wares for everyday use. It is unknown why the kilns temporarily ceased operations, but they closed by 1640. One theory is that the feudal lord of the Iga domain ordered the kilns to be destroyed, although this reason isn’t certain. 

Initially, Iga ware was thought to have started during the Heian period (794 – 1185) as a subset of Tokoname ware, but this theory is no longer widely accepted. Nowadays, its creation is attributed to the Muromachi period (1338 – 1573) when Shigaraki ware expanded out of Shiga Prefecture into the neighboring Iga Province. It wasn’t until around 1580 that Iga ware appeared in any records. It was first described as a tea jar used in a tea ceremony. By the mid-17th century, records routinely mentioned Iga ware. By that time, however, Iga kilns had ceased operations.

Production was concentrated between the Iga Province and Shiga Prefecture, now the modern-day Ayama, Marubashira, and Makiyama regions of the Mie Prefecture. Ruins of an ancient Iga kiln still exist on the grounds of Iga Castle. Tsutsui Sadatsugu originally operated the Iga Castle kiln but was eventually forced by the shogunate to transfer to a different domain in the early 1600s. Iga ware from this period is known as Tsutsui Iga. The head of the Todo family replaced Tsutsui, and Iga ware under his production is known as Todo Iga. 

Following the revival of Iga ware around 1763, records became more diverse and included pieces such as tea jars, powdered tea containers, tea bowls, flower vases, and sake bottles. Much about earlier pieces of Iga ware is unknown since all kilns seem to have been destroyed around the mid-17th century. An official’s record from this period notes the destruction of the Marubashira kiln in 1640. However, surviving pieces do appear in later records of tea ceremonies. 

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Since Iga ware was produced by multiple kilns, there are many different marks as a result. Often, pieces will include the kanji (characters) for “Iga” 伊賀 on the bottom. They can also include kanji that are specific to the maker or kiln.

Identify your Iga Ware Marks.

In the WorthPoint Library

Keramic Art of Japan by George A. Audsley.

Books and Periodicals 

Iga Ware by Seizō Hayashiya.

Web Resources

Historical Background of the Edo Period (1615 – 1868) education.asianart.org. 

Iga Ware artsandculture.google.com.