Although Japanese women were involved in the Japanese pottery industry for centuries, mainly as decorative artists with their tea wares or performing menial tasks, they were excluded from being in direct contact with the kilns or taking on apprenticeships. Postwar Japan saw more opportunities arise for women in advanced education and they began to enter university art schools and other training facilities both in Japan and overseas. They were exposed to a broader range of creative disciplines and artistic movements and successfully integrated this into their ceramic art and sculptures, while maintaining a connection to the subtle Japanese aesthetic. From