Imari Porcelain of Japan
Imari porcelain site
IMARI PORCELAIN
“Imari” in Japanese Kanji has a foreign flavor of a land far-far away. People living on the islands of Japan had dreamed about a place where they had never been before. From a southern seaport on the island of Kyushu, Imari porcelain traveled across the seas and finally reached to the shore of Europe. They were displayed in the kings’ and queens’ castles and treasured for many years.
At first rather a naive and simple white porcelain with a blue decoration gradually added more colors and gold for its richness and wealth. Searching for Imari for many years, I have touched and felt its maker’s passion creating a perfect world through his imagination.
Emiko Gilmore, May 2005
What is “Imari”?
Imari porcelain is a name of Japanese porcelain. The name is familiar to the collectors for many years. Imari was first made in Hizen, current saga and Nagasaki prefectures located on the Kyushu Island of the southern part of Japan in the early 17th century. Hizen produced Karatsu pottery well before they started to make porcelains, so the foundation of the industry already existed in Hizen area by the time when the porcelain stone was discovered in the early 17th century. Hizen also harbored the foreign trade since the Muromachi period (1336-1573), being the closest to Korea and China. When the Portuguese arrived in the mid-16th century, many lords of Hizen welcomed the lucrative trades with Europeans even allowing them to spread Christianity in their territories. It also benefited Japanese increasing the trade when China entered into the struggling transitional period from Ming to Ching. The porcelain factories spread in all the regions of Hizen lasting until the Tokugawa’s Sakoku rule was ordered in the mid-17th century. Vibrant and flourishing free trade became more restricted controlled by the feudal rules and systems for the next 200 years or more.
Emiko Gilmore May 19th, 2020
Read More…………………….
Exploring of the roots of Imari porcelain industry in Japan.
Imari porcelain was first started in the Hizen region of the southern Japan in the early 17th century. The book shows the varieties and art designs of the products.
Daishoji Imari was created by the Kutani ceramic makers to recreate the glory of old Imari porcelain of Japan.
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