Imari ware in Kakiemon style
ABOUT ARITA WARE
Arita Ware,
made in the town of Arita in Saga Prefecture, is the oldest porcelain
production area in Japan's history. Arita porcelain is characterized by
its translucent white porcelain surface, dyeing using "Gosu" (indigo
pigment), and gorgeous red painting using glassy overglaze pigments
(red, green, yellow, purple, and blue). The pottery is highly durable
and is produced in a wide variety of styles, from fine art to daily
necessities. It was exported to Europe, where it was prized as fine art
and called "white gold". Arita Ware is also a prestigious brand
that is admired by ceramicists from other regions as a representative
porcelain production area.
made in the town of Arita in Saga Prefecture, is the oldest porcelain
production area in Japan's history. Arita porcelain is characterized by
its translucent white porcelain surface, dyeing using "Gosu" (indigo
pigment), and gorgeous red painting using glassy overglaze pigments
(red, green, yellow, purple, and blue). The pottery is highly durable
and is produced in a wide variety of styles, from fine art to daily
necessities. It was exported to Europe, where it was prized as fine art
and called "white gold". Arita Ware is also a prestigious brand
that is admired by ceramicists from other regions as a representative
porcelain production area.
Charm of Arita Ware
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.
How Was Arita Ware Made?
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.
Arita Ware Firing Process
-
1. 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. -
2. 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. -
3. 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. -
4. 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. -
5. 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. -
6. Overgrazing
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. -
7. Final Firing
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