Chūsei  中世 -  Mediaeval time:  1185 - 1603

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During the Heian period, the Kuge (court nobles) government in Kyoto and the military government in Kamakura coexisted. The emperors and their regents, almost always members of the imperial family or noble families with close ties to the court, held power in Japan. Military matters were also handled by the imperial court, although the court was effectively a civilian government. After the Genpei War, in which Minamoto no Yoritomo defeated the Taira clan, he succeeded in partially taking over power from the aristocracy in 1185. In 1192, he was given the title Shogun (military leader) by the emperor. He returned to his hometown, Kamakura, and established a new, military government there, the Bakufu, better known as Shogunate, with the right to appoint and control the offices of shugo (provincial governor) and jito (estate manager). He installed a representative in each province, which local rulers were later called Daimyo. This ushered in the era of feudal government in Japan, based on the provision of estates and protection by the shogunate, in exchange for taxes and assistance in case of wars or conflicts by local rulers. Legally, the shogunate  was under the control of the emperor, and the shogun's authority was limited to control over the country's armed forces, but the increasingly feudal nature of Japanese society created a situation where control over the military amounted to control over the land. The emperor was merely a symbol of sovereignty behind the shogun. The shogunate would last nearly seven hundred years until it was abolished in 1868.

The Kamakura Shogunate had a great influence on various aspects of Japanese culture, including ceramics. One of the most important factors in this was the introduction and promotion of Zen Buddhism which emphasizes simplicity, austerity and a connection to nature. Although wabi sabi principles, (侘寂) centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection would not become dominant until the later periods Muromachi (1336-1573) and Momoyama (1573-1603), the Kamakura period did lay the foundation for its development. The tea ceremony would play an important role. It was the Zen monks who introduced the tea ceremony, the ritual tea drinking originating in China, to Japan. Because the Zen aesthetic prescribed simplicity and austerity, this influenced the production and appreciation of ceramics used during the tea ceremony, with an emphasis on irregular shapes, rough textures and natural glazes. Artisans intentionally embraced imperfections, and this approach influenced the development of uniquely Japanese ceramic styles.
Although there were periods of political and military conflict, there were also moments of cultural exchange with China. Some potters actively sought to imitate Chinese styles, while others adapted Chinese techniques and incorporated them into their own practice. Chief among these was Shirozaemon KATO (1168-1249), better known as Tōshirō who was regarded as the originator of Seto ware. He studied the Song dynasty ceramics in China, and brought it to Japan and many of the ceramics produced during the Kamakura period were the result of Tōshirō's Chinese training. (Note that there is no historical evidence for this, but it is certain that Chinese and Korean ceramics played an important role in the early history of the Seto Yaki, as many of the earliest products were imitations of foreign luxury objects)

The Kamakura period marked the emergence of local kilns and regional ceramic production centers, not determined by the Kyoto government, Thus a structure of independent production and trade emerged, and as the demand for ceramics, especially for tea ceremonies, increased, local kilns began to specialize in producing specific types of ceramics with regional variations that developed their own unique techniques, glazes and designs. The great decentralization therefore contributed to the diversity and richness of Japanese ceramics.

In 1333, the end of the Kamakura period, there was an attempt by Emperor Go-Daigo to restore his power in Kyoto. Ashikaga Takauji, a general, was commissioned by the Kamakura shogunate to put down this rebellion in 1333. Hoping to be appointed shogun, however, he defected to the emperor's party and conquered Kyoto for him. He was not rewarded for this, however, after which he himself continued to build a bakufu , Shogunate in the Muromachi district of Kyoto, parallel to the building of the imperial court. The Muromachi period (1338-1573) takes its name from this district where the new shogunal line of the Ashikaga family established its residence. In 1335 Ashikaga was asked to go to Kamakura to put down a rebellion of the Kamakura shogunate.He did so, but then rebelled against Go-Daigo himself. With support from Kyushu, he conquered in Kyoto again, and this time permanently. Go-Daigo fled south, setting up his court there, but Ashikaga appointed Komyo emperor in Kyoto, who in turn appointed Ashikaga shogun in 1338. This began the period of Northern and Southern Courts, which lasted until 1392, when shogun Ashikaga managed to persuade Yoshimitsu Emperor Go-Kameyama to return to Kyoto.
After the outbreak of the Ōnin War in 1467, the power of the Ashikaga shogunate collapsed and the chaotic Sengoku jidai - period (1467-1573) began, a period that would become known as "the warring states period," or the century of the land at war. The Sengoku jidai was a time of domestic crisis and constant fighting between the Shogunate and rebellious daimyos. 

In 1568, Oda Nobunaga entered Kyoto to install Ashikaga Yoshiaki as the 15th and ultimately last Ashikaga shōgun. It marked the beginning of the Azuchi-Momoyama period, the final phase of the Sengoku period. With the continued independence of the various local warlords in the Sengoku period, the power of the Ashikaga shōgunate would diminish rapidly until it ceased to exist de facto in 1573 with the exile of Ashikaga Yoshiaki from Kyoto. 

Despite the many internal wars and unrest in the last century, the Muromachi period is also known as a pivotal period in the history of Japanese ceramics.
On the one hand, there was the prevailing taste that was already influenced to a great extent by Chinese and Korean taste in the previous period and also still in the Muramachi period and a large number of imitations of Chinese ceramics were produced especially in the Seto and Mino regions. But there was also a great degree of evolution and diversification of Japanese culture and various influential styles and techniques in ceramic art emerged. In particular, the spread of Zen Buddhism with its emphasis on simplicity, rustic beauty and utilitarian art made this period an important chapter in Japanese ceramic history. The most important figure in this is Sen no Rikyū (522 -l 1591), also known as Rikyū, who had a profound influence on chanoyu, the Japanese version of ritual tea drinking. He was also the first to emphasize several important aspects of the ceremony, including rustic simplicity, directness of approach and honesty of self. From the second half of the Muromachi period, this new aesthetic taste  gradually became more dominant, resulting in a dramatic improvement in the status of domestic pottery. This also accelerated the development and production of yakishime or unglazed, high-fired ware known for its hard, impervious body and quite suitable for domestic use. There was mass production of wares for practical use in different regions such as Tokoname, Atsumi, Echizen, Shigaraki, Tanba and Bizen. These are developments that would continue in the later periods.

The Azuchi-Momoyama period is characterized by the fact that Japan became one again after decades of being torn apart by civil wars. This unification was the prelude to the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate. Oda Nobunaga and his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi were especially influential in this unification. The period is named after Nobunaga's castle, Azuchi Castle, and Hideyoshi's castle, Fushimi-Momoyama Castle.

In the mid-16th century, still during the Sengoku time with ongoing internal strife between the shogunate and the daimyos, were also the first contacts with the West. After the Portuguese came as early as 1543, the Spanish followed in 1587 and the Dutch in 1609. They were initially greeted with curiosity and interest. Overall, the arrival of the Portuguese led to a significant exchange of goods, ideas and cultural interaction between Japan and Europe, paving the way for further European influence in Japan in subsequent years. In particular, the introduction of firearms had a major impact on warfare and local politics. Its military potential was recognized and embraced by some, but there were also doubts about its impact on existing power structures. However, as Japan became more unified, attitudes toward Europeans and their influences changed. In particular, Hideyoshi saw the conversion drive of Christianity as a threat to Japan. Even before the arrival of the Spaniards in 1582, some two percent of Japan's population had been converted to Christianity and there were 200 churches in the country. This led to a revolt against Christianity in 1587, and in 1597 the religion was even banned. Although trade with Europeans was still allowed, it was increasingly restricted.

From the second half of the Muromachi period, the wabi-cha, the simplicity-oriented version of the chanoyu as propagated by Sen no Rikyū, dominated. It provided guidelines and instructions regarding aesthetics, and more generally the relationship to life and nature, of which chanoyu was a part. This resulted in a large production of tea bowls and tea sets, which became the most important product in many regions. Among these, Raku pottery produced under the supervision of Sen-no Rikyu by the potter Chojiro was very popular. Other types of pottery regions that were immensely popular include Bizen, Shigaraki, Iga, Tanba and Karatsu pottery.