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Arita Ware: Characteristics

Arita Ware, which has a long history, is generally divided into three styles: Old Imari, Kakiemon and Nabeshima.

Old Imari is a term referring to Hizen ceramic goods which were the first examples of Arita Ware made in the Edo Era. They were named as Old Imari due to the fact that they were shipped out of Imari Port. When saying “Old Imari Style”, the meaning refers to the painting style known as “Kinrande” or Kinran type. Kinrande refers to a valuable fabric, known as “kinran”, which has gold thread embroidered into it; the painting style resembles this style. The underglazing is dark while colors of red and gold are lavishly used to create a style in which objects such as flowers are drawn all over the surface. It is thought that in the economically affluent Genroku Era, traits of this were reflected. Old Imari is a style that first appeared in the Genroku period (1688-1704) of the Edo Era, to be handed over to the present day and is very representative of Arita Ware.

Works done in the Kakiemon style were exported to Europe during the Edo Era, and had a great influence on European ceramics and porcelain, which included starting the Meissen kilns of Germany, and gained great appreciation. On its milky-white canvas, sophisticated designs were painted while leaving a lot of white space; the material was often compared to the whitish water left after washing rice, known in the Arita dialect as nigoshi. The style of Japanese paintings, coupled with the nigoshide style of milky-white color left a distinctive beauty and greatly influenced European ceramics and porcelain goods. This traditional method was designated as Japan’s Important Intangible Cultural Asset, although goods made in the Kakiemon style ceased to be made due to Kinrande which flourished during the Genroku Era. However in 1953, the 12th and 13th Sakaida Kakiemon brought back the style and it continues to the present day.

The Nabeshima style was developed in the official kilns of the Nabeshima clan in Saga Prefecture for special gifts and for personal use. Labeled as “Nabeshima”, the style gained great prestige globally. The official kilns were thought to be established during the Kan’ei Era (1624-1644) in Arita’s Iwataniuchi district and were moved to Minami-Kawahara during the Kanbun Era (1661-1673), before making their final move to Okawauchi in Imari during the En’po Era (1673-1680). In Nabeshima, there was celadon ceramics and dyeing; these were accompanied by the works known as Iro Nabeshima which also contained paintings within their interior. Ornamenting Iro Nabeshima were blue dyeing, and paintings of red, green and yellow to make up the four basic colors. The patterns of bluish tinge on the surface were overflowing with nobility and dignity, and the techniques were passed on via the Iro Nabeshima Technique Preservation Society. The society was designated as the nation’s Important Intangible Cultural Asset. The household of Imaemon Imaizumi of the akae town was requested to design the goods fired from the Nabeshima clan kilns in Okawauchi during the latter half of the Edo Era. Because of this, contemporary Arita has kept continuing this style.

Arita Ware, over its 400-year-long history, has amassed everything from daily goods to works of art to be appreciated, and continues to fascinate admirers with its beautiful white surface, vivid coloration, its utility and durability.

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Arita – History

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:03:49 +0000

The beginning of Arita took place during Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s Imjin War in Korea. The fruitless 7 years of battle was brought to a close with Toyotomi’s death. During this time, many of the feudal lords, or daimyo, returned home from the Korean Peninsula bringing potters with them. Naoshige Nabeshima of the Nabeshima clan in Saga Prefecture was no exception. And then in the second year of the Genna Era (circa 1616), the potter Sanpei Li discovered deposits of white porcelain ore in Arita’s Izumiyama which became known as Japan’s first examples of porcelain goods to be fired. The potters who came from the Korean Peninsula settled in Arita and developed the Joseon Style of pottery which transformed into various methods such as the Chinese style, white porcelain, celadon porcelain and dyeing. Meanwhile, the manufacturing formulas for porcelain goods continued to be polished.

One reason for the distinguishing amongst pottery regions lay not just in the raw materials but also in the firing techniques. When the digging of holes and creation of tunnel-like kilns known as anagama were the norm, climbing kilns, or noborigama, were first developed on the slopes of mountains. The noborigama, which were clustered up on the slopes as firing chambers, had better heat efficiency than single kilns, and therefore, mass production of goods was made possible.

In the third year of the Shoho Era (1646), people like Kakiemon Sakaida were successful in using colors of red, green and yellow to create designs called akae, and thus Japan’s first painted porcelain goods were born.
In the latter half of the 17th century, because of the waning influence of the highly skilled Keitokuchin’s kilns in China, the East India Company in the third year of the Keian Era (1650) bought into Arita Ware, and Old Imari Style quickly spread amongst the nobles of Europe. Because goods produced in the Sarayama district of Arita were shipped out from Port Imari, Arita Ware was often given alternate names like “Imari Ware” or “Old Imari”. This is the reason that Arita Ware has often been called Imari Ware. The Old Imari goods in Europe, greatly admired there, were used to ornament the interiors of palaces. In particular, Augustus the Strong of Germany was such a collector of the most astounding examples of Old Imari that he bought them by selling his own soldiers. Before long, Augustus ordered the development of Meissen porcelain goods which led to today’s Meissen porcelain manufacturing facilities.

And then in the Meiji Era, Arita Ware was revealed in World Expositions all over Europe and America attracting many people from each country.

In 1976, the Kakiemon Porcelain Manufacturing Technique Preservation Society, as well as the Iro Nabeshima Technique Preservation Society were designated as Important Intangible Cultural Assets. Furthermore, in 1980, the remains of the Tengudani Kilns and the Yamaheta Kilns, and the Izumiyama Porcelain Stone Region were designated as national historic sites. In addition, in 1991, the streets of Upper Arita were selected as an important preservation district. Arita Ware has become greatly admired by everyone, and in the future, its importance will be taken to heart without overlooking its pioneers’ efforts, and its traditions must be protected.

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Arita – Potter

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:02:31 +0000

Inoue Manji

Born in 1929 in Arita. An Arita Ware expert at the pottery wheel, Inoue was a master at white porcelain. In Arita, ornamental techniques exist for dyeing and painting, but that is not the case for white porcelain. It’s known simply for its softness and smooth texture, and expresses a noble, warm and dignified style.

Although his parents’ home was located inn a pottery town, Inoue intended to become a soldier and at 15, he entered naval flight training. In 1945, he was demobilized and at his father’s recommendation, he began working for the 14th Kakiemon Sakaida. After 7 years of tutelage, in 1952, he was affected by the works of Chuuemon Okugawa, a great teacher of the pottery wheel and then became his pupil, and learned about the wheel and white porcelain. In 1958, Inoue left the Kakiemon Kilns, and became a technical officer at the Arita Prefectural Kiln Industry Testing Facility. On the side, he researched the molding of porcelain and glazing, and strove to learn all he could about the methods of traditional white porcelain and individual design.

In 1968, he was first elected into the 15th Japan Traditional Industrial Arts Exhibition. In 1969, Inoue went to the United States at the invitation of Pennsylvania State University as a professor of Arita Ware for 5 months. He also held solo exhibitions overseas in countries like Germany and Hungary, and in March 2002, he participated in the exhibition commemorating the 45th anniversary of the ruler of Monaco’s accession. Inoue covered a lot of ground and built an extremely good reputation overseas.

In 1977, Inoue received the Ministry of International Trade and Industry Prize for National Traditional Handicrafts. On May 31 1995, he was bestowed the honor of Important Intangible Cultural Asset, and in 1997 was given the Medal with Purple Ribbon.

Currently, Inoue, along with his son Yasunori Inoue, have set up a kiln and a bungalow gallery in Arita. Within the vividly-painted world of Arita Ware, they are continuing the unique style of immersing themselves in white porcelain. Their students already numbering at 500 with over 150 of them from America, the Inoues are concentrating on cultivating the next generation.

Imaizumi Imaemon

“Nabeshima” is a pottery which originated from the specially dedicated kilns of the Nabeshima clan in Saga Prefecture, and its distinctive style is called Nabeshima Yoshiki.

The kilns of the Nabeshima clan were established in 1628 in Arita’s Iwatanigawauchi, and in 1675 were moved to Okawachiyama, Imari. In these kilns, clan goods, gifts to be given to important personages, and presentation articles to the Shogunate were fired. 31 of Arita’s public kiln potters of the highest skill were gathered here, and under strict supervision, the well-regulated structure, design, and painting of what was to become Nabeshima were born. From the painting and dyeing, the pattern outlines were taken, and because the three colors of red, yellow and green were used for the blue dye finish to create a certain nobility, the excellent completed works were dubbed Iro Nabeshima or “color Nabeshima”.

The dyes of dami and sumihajiki were characteristic of the pottery, and it could boast of a perfect art. In addition, there was the method of jointly using celadon pottery, known as Nabeshima celadon pottery, and long-esteemed dyeing techniques. Nabeshima, like the Old Imari Style, enjoyed its heyday in the Genroku Era (1688-1704).

In the 1640s, the methods of akae, red printing on ceramics, were brought over from China, and it is thought that starting from this period, the first Imaemon also worked in connection with akae. In the latter half of the 17th century, there were approximately 150 Arita Sarayama kilns, and in the Kanbun Era (1661-1673), the number of akae studios in Arita’s Uchiyama district numbered at 11 (later to grow to 16), and thus an akae town was established under the safeguard of the Nabeshima clan. Imaemon Imaizumi, who was the most technically proficient within this group, became the clan’s official akae instructor. Within the official akae studio of Imaemon’s home, painting and purification were carried out there, the akae kilns were wrapped in drapery printed with the crest of the Nabeshima clan, high lanterns were hoisted, and under the supervision of clan officials, in the akae town, the kilns continued to fire. Also, to prevent the secret formula of akae from leaking out to other clans, inheritance laws were established and the generational passing of the akae secrets was carefully safeguarded.

The 13th Imaemon Imaizumi from a young age strove to make creative Iro Nabeshima from a contemporary angle. He received his name in 1975 and established the Iro Nabeshima Imaemon Technique Preservation Society and became an Important Intangible Cultural Asset. He devoted himself to creating works befitting his style, set up methods of blow dyeing and light blow dyeing, and won an award of excellence for his works at the Traditional Industrial Arts Exhibition, and at the Japan Ceramics Exhibition, he also won the Prince Chichibu Cup, the Mainichi Prize for the Arts, the Japan Ceramics and Porcelain Association Gold Prize, etc, thereby gaining great prestige for himself. In 1988, Imaemon became an Important Intangible Cultural Asset for “Painted Porcelain Goods”.

The current 14th Imaemon Imaizumi gained his name in 2002 and has inherited the generations-long work for Nabeshima as the president of the Iro Nabeshima Imaemon Technique Preservation Society. He has paid attention to the method known as “sumihajiki”, used during the creation of the pattern outline way of dyeing dating from the Edo Era, and is producing new, contemporary, stimulating and highly dignified Nabeshima works known as indigo sumihajiki, charcoal sumihajiki, sozo sumihajiki and snow flower sumihajiki.

Sakaida Kakiemon

At the beginning of the 17th century, Enzai Sakaida, a potter who had been discovered for his superior quality and moved to Arita Town, Saga Prefecture, manufactured ceramics, white porcelain and dyed porcelain goods with his son, Kizaemon.

Soon after in 1647, Kizaemon succeeded in firing Japan’s first examples of akae pottery and acceded to the name, Kakiemon. And then, the first generation of Kakiemon Sakaida established the style of porcelain goods known as Kakiemon Yoshiki. Kakiemon Yoshiki mainly contained the theme of yamato-e-like flower-and-bird design with warm colors and asymmetrical drawings. Also, it had a characteristic of abundant milky-white spaces. Its painting involved colors of red, yellow and green, followed by blue, purple and gold. In addition, around the lip of some of the works, “kuchisabi”, or a rust glaze was commonly seen. Unlike its contemporaries within Arita Ware such as the delicate Nabeshima Yoshiki or Old Imari Yoshiki with its lack of white spaces, Kakiemon Yoshiki had a tender and warm feel.

Kakiemon Yoshiki goods were imported to places like Europe. There, kilns for Germany’s Meissen and France’s Chantille created copies, namely “faux-Kakiemon” in great quantities, and even now, famous kilns around the world have taken over the design aspects. The white porcelain material is called nigoshide because of its soft milky-white color and for the fact that the word nigoshi is Saga Prefecture’s dialectal term for the cloudy white water remaining after washing rice. The usual white porcelain material of Arita Ware has a fairly bluish tinge but in comparison, nigoshide is actually pure white.

In the latter half of the Edo Era, the production of nigoshide was stopped but thanks to the efforts of both the 12th Sakaida Kakiemon (1878-1963) and 13th Sakaida Kakiemon (1906-1982), the restoration of this production was successfully accomplished in 1953. The manufacturing technique of nigoshide was designated as an Intangible Cultural Asset in 1955, and later became an Important Intangible Cultural Asset in 1971. After the death of the 13th Kakiemon, the 14th Sakaida Kakiemon inherited his predecessor’s work which continues to the present day.

The current 14th Sakaida Kakiemon was born in Arita in 1934 and graduated from the Japanese Paintings department of Tama University. In 1982, he acceded to the title of the 14th Sakaida Kakiemon, and in 1984, he won the Japan Ceramics and Porcelain Association Prize. In 1986 and 1992, he also won Honorable Mention at the Japan Traditional Industrial Arts Exhibition. In 1997, he became the president of the Saga Prefecture Ceramics Association and currently serves as the director of the Japan Industrial Arts Association as well as being a full-time lecturer at Kyushu Industrial University Graduate School’s Fine Arts Research Department. He is also the principal of Arita Kiln Industrial School. While preserving the traditions and techniques, the 14th Sakaida Kakiemon is also showing his originality based on the needs of the time.

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Arita – Photos

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:01:48 +0000

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