Antique Japanese Porcelain
Much porcelain was created in Japan between 1573 and 1603 when the country had thousands of kilns each of which had their own distinct characteristics. The porcelain was created by clay being mixed with ground feldspathic rock. Almost all of this featured high-fired stoneware, which was fired at temperatures of about 2,650 degrees.
One of the most popular of these sites was Arita, which served as the home of Ri Sampei, who is seen as the father of Japanese porcelain. Arita was the largest city on Kyushu, which was the most popular island for the production of porcelain. His porcelain became known as the Izumi style. Legend has it that he was brought to Japan by Hideyoshi, Japan’s second great unifier, and discovered the clay at Izumi Mountain.
Others credit Shonzui Goradoyu-go with creating the first porcelain made in Japan. At the end of the war, he returned to Japan with the information he learned from the Chinese kilns located at Jingdezhen.
Much of the early porcelain that was developed had elements that the Japanese had copied from China and Korea. Large amounts of this porcelain were exported to Europe, even during the period of isolation, by the Dutch East India Company.
The marks on early Japanese porcelain can vary even within the same set of pieces. Common markings were the name of the factory, the potter’s name, the decorator’s name, the name of the pattern, the name of the customer, the name of the exporter, or the name of the importer. Some markings simply carried messages such as good luck.
