Arita ware is the premier porcelain of Japan, backed by 400 years of history. The division of labor in each process of production—clay refining, forming, painting and glazing—has resulted in process specialists with a very high level of technical skill, as well as top-quality products.

Arita ware is made mainly with a unique ceramic stone called Amakusa Toseki, and it is said that the whiteness of the stone is beautiful in itself. It is this ceramic stone that gives Arita ware its unique combination of highly sought-after qualities, making it light, thin and exceptionally resistant to breakage. Arita ware’s translucent surface when held up to the sun is also due to the ceramic stone.

Arita ware has a wide range of glazing techniques: from the sometsuke underglazing, which uses a dark blue pigment called gosu, to nigoshide overglazing, characterized by a variety of vivid colors on a base of clear, beautiful white porcelain.

 In Japan, although the history of earthenware has continued since the Jomon period (14,000 BC–300 BC), the production of porcelain began only 400 years ago.

The oldest porcelain in Japan, known today as Arita ware, was created in the early 17th century by Korean craftsman Yi Sam-pyeong, or Ri Sanpei in Japanese. 

Yi Sam-Pyeong was brought to Arita by Nabeshima Naoshige, the lord of Saga domain, and placed in the care of the Taku family, the elderly members of the Saga domain. He built a kiln in Arita, but found it difficult to use the raw materials found in the region in the correct formulation and was unable to produce pottery to his liking.

He then explored other locations in the Saga Domain to find suitable clay materials for white porcelain. Around 1610, Yi Sam-Pyeong finally found good-quality porcelain ore at Izumiyama in Arita. In 1616, he presented his porcelain to Lord Nabeshima Naoshige and founded Arita ware.

In recognition of these achievements, the Taku family, who greatly admired Yi Sam-Pyeong, wanted him to take the Japanese name of Kanagae Sanbee. (However, all generations of inheritors of his name continued to use the original name, Yi Sam-Pyeong, and still do until this day.)

At that time, China was still at the forefront of the porcelain trade. However, with the decrease in Jingdezhen porcelain production following the fall of the Ming Dynasty, the East India Company, in need of porcelain products, turned its attention to Arita. These products were exported from Imari port and became well-known worldwide under the name Imari ware.

In the 17th century, the technology for porcelain manufacturing had not yet been established in Europe. Therefore, the beautiful white porcelain of Imari ware was considered a work of art and a symbol of status and nobility. Often referred to as "white gold," it was highly prized and influenced many European porcelain industries, including Meissen.

The overarching term of Imari ware actually includes multiple styles. The Kakiemon style is characterized by its vibrant red painting over a milky-white base. The Nabeshima style carries a history of exclusivity and fine quality, having been initially created solely as an offering to the powerful elite of Japan. The opulentkinrandestyle is decorated with gorgeous gilding and was developed to suit Western tastes. Among these vastly different styles, the beauty of Kakiemon was especially attractive to Europeans.

Until the late Edo period (1603 CE–1868 CE), Arita was the only porcelain production center in Japan. However, at the end of this period, the Arita Sarayama area, the production hub, was devastated by a huge fire that killed many people and destroyed most of the houses. By the beginning of the Meiji period (1868 CE–1912 CE), Arita had recovered and resumed producing trade porcelain by inviting foreign engineers to learn the science of porcelain making and by improving traditional techniques and technology.

Thereafter, Arita ware went through a series of declines and revivals throughout the years. Nevertheless, the skills were passed on to the next generations, whose will to succeed kept Arita’s tradition alive. In 1977, Arita Ware was recognized as a nationally designated traditional craft.

Forming

The porcelain ore and ceramic stone are refined into porcelain clay and formed using a potter's wheel or plaster mold. The porcelain ore used in authentic styles such as early Imari is Izumiyama porcelain ore, but most of the current Arita ware uses Amakusa pottery stone from Kumamoto Prefecture.

Bisque Firing

The dried base is placed in a kiln and fired at a temperature of about 900℃ (1652℉). Bisque firing will prevent damage in the subsequent work.

Underglazing

Underglaze decorations are painted on with a pigment called gosu, which is used to paint items in different shades of blue, from pale blue to dark blue, such as sometsuke, and to outline colorful styles, such as kinrande, with black gosu.

Glazing

Each Arita ware kiln applies a uniquely formulated glaze, which results in a smooth, transparent, glassy coating after firing. This completes the underglaze process.

High Firing

Firing is done at a high temperature of about 1300℃ (2372℉). Many kilns now use electric kilns, but traditional kilns such as the Ri Sanpei Kiln sometimes use natural wood-fired kilns. The underglaze work, such as sometsuke, is completed at this point.

Overglazing

The overglazing process seen in styles such as kinrande, Kakiemon and Nabeshima is done after high fire. Red, green, yellow, gold, silver, and other colors other than gosu blue are used for the overglaze. There are two types of Arita ware painting: hand-drawn and stenciled, with the hand-drawn pieces considered more valuable as works of art.

Final Firing

After the overglazing, the pieces undergo a final firing at approximately 720–830℃ (around 1328–1526℉) and with this the process of creating Arita ware is complete.

Photos by Saga Ceramics Industrial Association.