 He moved to the Kantō at the invitation of Umeda Hannosuke, a Tokyo merchant who was interested in exporting Satsuma ware.The deal involved Suzuki Yasubei, brother-in-law to Umeda, on the business side, and Suzuki helped finance the kiln.After a serious fire in 1876, Kōzan rebuilt out of his own pocket, freeing himself from the partnership.