Toki, from wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Toki (土岐市; -shi) is a city in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The city is located on the Honshu island, to the southeast of Gifu City, the prefectural capital. The Toki River runs through the downtown area. Toki is known as one of the largest producers of Japanese pottery. The products made in the region are generally referred as the Mino-yaki. Toki has a sister city arrangement with Faenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.

Toki is located at 35°21′ North, 137°10′ East. It has a total area of 116.16 km². As of June 30, 2005, there are 64,090 people and 22,001 households living within the boundaries of the city. The population density is 551.7/km².

The history of pottery making in Toki area appears to have started more than 1,300 years ago. Some kiln traces and earthenware pieces, which are in the 7th century style, have been recovered within the territory of the city. The technical merit and artistic impression reached an acme in the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568 - 1614) when crockery for tea ceremony had been produced there. Daimyo feudal lords highly admired such tea vessels, bowls, pots and utensils with unique styles as the Oribe. More emphasis has been put on daily necessities since the early Edo period (1603- 1867). By virtue of mass production successfully introduced in and after the Meiji Era (1868–1912), the porcelain and pottery from Toki are now found widely in Japan.

The city was incorporated on February 1, 1955, with the area formerly divided among 5 towns (Tokitsu, Oroshi, Tsumagi, Dachi and Izumi) and 3 villages (Tsurusato, Sogi and Hida).

* iseng-iseng, sumber : wikipedia