Since its establishment in 1598, Mikawachi ware has been revered, with pieces presented to the imperial court and shoguns, reflecting a long-standing commitment to producing high-class pottery, ranging from daily necessities to interior decorations.

Mikawachi ware pieces elevate a tabletop setting, presenting the elegance of sculptures or paintings. Characterized by its translucent and exquisite white porcelain, this ware is renowned for achieving the pinnacle of pure white color. The craftsmanship in Mikawachi ware, evident in delicate dyeing, intricate openwork, and fine detailing on the white porcelain, along with a pearly sheen achieved through high-temperature firing, exudes graceful luxury. These pieces are indeed treasures, meriting status as art.

Today's Mikawachi ware, inheriting the skills and spirit of its forebears, continues to be celebrated as a traditional national craft, demonstrating an enduring legacy of excellence. 

Mikawachi ware is a pottery production area known for its outstanding porcelain modeling techniques and picturesque paintings. It has a history of nearly 400 years in Nagasaki, Kyushu region, where many kilns, including Arita ware, are located.

Mikawachi ware was founded by a potter named Geo-gwan, who was brought back from Korea by Shigenobu Matsura, a feudal lord of the Hirado domain, at the end of the 16th century. He changed his family name to Imamura and became a naturalized Japanese. Geo-gwan moved to Mikawachi and built a kiln with Goryeo-tteog, a potter who initiated the Karatsu ware that was born in northern Saga Prefecture at the same time, and 127 other potters.

In 1662, Imamura Yajibei, a grandson of Geo-guan, began full-scale production of porcelain, also the superior three-dimensional work, such as openwork, that can still be seen today, started to be produced. The beautiful Mikawachi wares, which boasted of outstanding techniques, exports to overseas began in 1831, and they were exhibited at the Paris Exposition and the Chicago Exposition, where they were highly acclaimed. From the late Meiji period to the early Showa period, numerous master potters of Mikawachi ware appeared, and the area grew to become one of the leading porcelain production centers in Japan.

Openwork is a type of modeling technique in which a pattern is formed by hollowing out the base material. Since the 17th century, Mikawachi ware has challenged the limits of the technique to make the entire surface of porcelain look like a basket mesh, and has produced works that have mastered this complex technique to the present day.

The porcelain is made by carving it down to a thickness of less than one millimeter, so that it shines like a light bulb when light shines through it. This technology is called Egg Shell, orrankakudein Japanese, because it is as light and thin as an eggshell.

The handmade, individually crafted chrysanthemum flower carvings are affixed to vases and lids as decorations. These chrysanthemum flowers are made of porcelain, which is the same material as the body of the vessel, making it an integral part of the vessel.

A technique for creating relief by dissolving the same porcelain as the body in water and painting it over and over with a brush. This technique has been established in Japan for a long time, and is the same as the cameo technique known as Pate-sur-pate.

Mikawachi Ware's painting is described as “like an art" because of its realistic three-dimensionality and perspective through delicate brush strokes and skillful use of color shading. In particular, a Chinese-style painting of a child calledkarakois Mikawachi Ware's best-known motif.

Source: Mikawachi Ceramic Industry Cooperative Association