The Zengoro family originated with Zengoro I (Sozen) in the late Muromachi period (roughly the 1530s to 1570s). He created a doburo at the request of Takeno Jōō, who was the teacher of Sen no Rikyu, the great master of wabi tea ceremony. A doburo is an unglazed but glossy black-finished earthenware brazier used in the tea ceremony to boil water.

Even after Rikyu's time, the family established itself as doburo makers, fulfilling the requests of tea masters of each era and aligning with their aesthetic sensibilities and the rise of the tea ceremony. The family continued their hereditary profession of doburo production.

However, with Zengoro X (Ryōzen), the family began creating not only doburo but also magnificent painted ceramic tea ware, thus playing a significant role in the tea ceremony with a diverse range of styles. Over time, the focus shifted to producing tea ware other than doburo, and the family eventually ceased doburo production.

Nevertheless, the current 18th-generation head of the family, Zengoro, is committed to more than just ceramic tea ware. He is also reviving the production of doburo, bringing back manufacturing methods that had fallen into disuse and been lost 100 years ago.