Oribe 織部 ware. Produced mainly from 1600 to the 1630s, this high-fired pottery juxtaposing rich fluid glazes with abstract geometric designs resulted from technological innovations at the Mino 美濃 kilns. Most pieces have iron pigment painted on the clay and open areas splashed with a dark green ash and copper glaze. Variant oribeyaki types include sō-oribe 総織部 (completely covered with green glaze), ao-oribe 青織部 (partially covered with green glaze), e-oribe 絵織部 (with iron painted pattens), aka-oribe 赤織部 (combination of red and white clay), shino-oribe 志野織部 (utilizing techniques of e-shino 絵志野, see *shinoyaki 志野焼) and kuro-oribe 黒織部 (with black glaze). The name refers to the great Mino-born tea master Furuta Oribe 古田織部 (1544-1615); his exact relationship to the pottery is unclear, although the ware may reflect his aesthetics. Oribe potters often employed moulds to make complex shapes and experimented with a range of vessel forms, often including sets of dishes known as mukōzuke 向付.
