Brazier with "namako glaze", Shigaraki ware

After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Shigaraki produced useful tools like hibachi braziers and caldrons for silk reeling. The hibachis were a great hit all the way through the Taisho (1912-26) and early Showa periods (1926-1989). Valued highly for their strong good quality and ability to heat and cool more quickly than ones made in other areas, they sold increasingly well. Just after the Second World War (1945-54), to fill the growing demand, the town of Shigaraki appeared to be bubbling with hibachi.