Arita-yaki is porcelain fired mainly in the town of Arita, Saga Prefecture. In 1616, the Korean potter Ri Sanpei discovered ceramic stone, the raw material for porcelain, in Senzan, Arita, and porcelain was fired for the first time in Japan. Since then, many potters have worked together to produce porcelain, forming a large production area. There are three representative styles of Arita porcelain: the "Ko-Imari style," which consists of dark underglaze blue porcelain and gold brocade, a pattern using rich red and gold paint produced in Arita during the Edo period; the "Nigoshide style," in which floral and animal patterns are placed discreetly in vivid red, blue, green and yellow on a milky white background with ample white space; and the "Ko-Imari style," in which the color of the porcelain is red, blue, green and yellow, with a rich red and gold paint used in the production of porcelain.
There are three styles of Arita-yaki: the Kakiemon style, in which floral, floral, and animal designs are placed in a subdued manner on a milky white background (nigoshide), leaving ample margins, and the Nabeshima Hanyo style, which was produced for the Nabeshima domain or forbidden use and presented to the Shogunate. Arita-yaki was exported in large quantities to Europe and other countries around the 18th century, and porcelain of the "Ko-Imari style" and "Kakiemon style" in particular attracted Europeans with their beauty. Arita-yaki is also called "Imari-yaki" because it was shipped out from the port of Imari.
Arita Town is located in the western part of Saga Prefecture and has a mild climate, blessed with rich and varied nature, including beautifully landscaped rice paddies and the Kurokami Mountain Range.
It is also a rice-growing area with a characteristic landscape of "terraced rice paddies" and one of the leading livestock breeding areas in the prefecture. The town offers the charm of Arita-yaki porcelain and agriculture, as well as food.
Please consider commemorative gifts using“Arita (Imari) Ware”.
We accept a variety of requests,
including letterhead sets and Japanese paper accessories,
as well as items such as the souvenir example.
Arita porcelain ware was first produced in Japan at the end of the 16th century when potter Ri Sanpei, who was brought back from Korea by Saga feudal lord Nabeshima Naomoge, who was participating in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea, discovered ceramic stone, the raw material for porcelain, in Arita Izumiyama. It is said that the porcelain fired at this time was the first porcelain in Japan. As a major porcelain production center, Arita was in great demand throughout Japan from its birth, and from the mid-17th century, it was exported in large quantities to Europe via Dejima in Nagasaki, where it graced the palaces of Europe. Arita porcelain attracted royalty and nobility, and it is said that King Augustus of Dresden, Germany, even had porcelain fired in his own country based on Arita porcelain.
Arita porcelain has a number of achievements that have been handed down from generation to generation, such as being awarded the Medaille d'Or (the highest honorary award) when it was exhibited at the 1900 Paris Exposition. Today, while preserving and refining the 400-year-old traditions and techniques, young artists and small and large workshops are also producing ambitious works.
Please consider commemorative gifts using“Arita (Imari) Ware”.
We accept a variety of requests,
including letterhead sets and Japanese paper accessories,
as well as items such as the souvenir example.