Rather than abandon production, the weavers of Nishijin took steps towards creating more modernized textile production methods. The beauty and splendor of Japanese ceramics is renowned worldwide, and there are a multitude of world-class ceramic styles (see our A-Z Guide to Japanese Ceramics). Yet it is little known that the beloved pottery that captivated the world in the 1600s came from a humble southern town called Arita. A look at the fire resistant structures known as kura-zukuri in the Kawagoe district brings one back to the Edo period.