Early Trade

In the late 16th century, when Portuguese knocked the door of Japanese trade, their main purpose was to take silver from Japan. Japan was known to have a large source of silver at that time. For exchange of silver, they offered guns, and also Chinese porcelains.

Since Wako piracy dominated the sea trade in the Southeast Asia since Mongol invasion in the late 13th century, the official Chinese trade was banned from Japan. The porcelains were hard to get and very expensive.

During the years of Hideyoshi’s war and invasions of Korea (1592-1598), Hideyoshi built the Nagoya castle in Hizen. Many samurai lords were gathered for the oversea campaigns. In a time of fruitless and tiresome war against Korea and China, war lords captured many Korean potters and brought them back for their war prize.

Karatsu pottery kilns were built first by Korean potters around 1580s. Unfortunately, by some political intrigue in Hideyoshi’s era, the kilns were closed in Karatsu area (1594). The potters lost their patronage of their lord (Hata clan) and moved out of the area.

Earlier Karatsu pottery groups joined by some newcomers, after searching proper porcelain stones and kiln sites on the sloping hills, started the kilns in the mountainous areas. They settled eventually in the three domains of Hirado, Omura and Nabeshima territories. All were located in the Hizen province of Kyushu (current Nagasaki and Saga prefectures.)

When China went into the period of the civil war (1618-1683), it caused a sudden shortage of porcelains in the South-East Asia. To fill the orders, the buyers turned to Japan. Hizen porcelain industry, although still in its primitive state, quickly expanded their productions, possibly helped by Chinese experts. Most of this porcelain ware were distributed by Chinese ships to the various ports of South-East Asia until about 1683.

The earliest industry was centered at Nangawara, south-west side of now Arita (Saga Nabeshima territory.) It soon spread out to the nearing areas in Hirado and Omura territories. The area had already established active kilns mostly producing potteries and few primitive porcelains. New improvements were made quickly to increase porcelain production around 1640. The type of this export ware was decorated in the style of common products, not in high quality. It was mostly blue and white porcelain ware. The patterns and styles were copied and arranged from Kraak and Swatou porcelains from China.

Although Hizen porcelain started by copying Chinese porcelains, it helped to create a large industry region in Hizen. In the later years, the skilled and experienced craftsmen were raised to produce “Imari” porcelain, which earned the world reputation of Japanese craft.

During the heyday of the porcelain trade in Japan, the porcelain goods were examined and taxed by their feudal prince called Daimyo. Finished products were sold by Japanese merchants to Dutch and Chinese in Nagasaki.

Under the Tokugawa’s strict caste system, potters and painters kept hereditary occupations. They built communal kilns and workshops in the mountainous small villages. Most workshops were run by the family members, young and old. They kept relatively peaceful but regulated lifestyle supported by authorities and merchants who enjoyed lucrative porcelain trade until the end of Edo Period.