Matsuzaka Banko Yaki, a designated traditional craft of Mie Prefecture, began humbly in 1863 as Dodokawa-yaki in Matsusaka City, founded by Nobuharu Sakuma. What truly elevated its status was the dedication of the third-generation potter, Hōrin Sakuma. In the Taishō era (1912 - 1926), he rebranded the ware as Matsuzaka Banko, more clearly tying it to both the successful Banko Yaki tradition and the city in which it originated. Crucially, the ware earned the prestigious patronage of the Urasenke tea school and the "Shōko Kiln" seal. Thus distinguished as an official purveyor to Urasenke, Matsuzaka Banko was established as a tradition that has been proudly continued by successive generations of the Sakuma family. The ware's enduring legacy lies in its craftsmanship as beautiful, reliable, and easily-used tea ceramics, many of which pay homage to classic Japanese and international ceramic styles and bear the coveted approvals and inscriptions of the Urasenke grand masters.