Hizen produced Karatsu pottery well before they started to make porcelains, so the foundation of the industry was 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 transition from Ming to Ching. The porcelain factories spread in all region 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