Porcelain production is said to have started in this area in the 1610s, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s army marched to Korea and Nabeshima Naomou brought back Ri Sanpei, who discovered ceramic stones used to make porcelain at Mount Izumiyama in Arita, and this was the general name for porcelain produced in the Hizen Province (modern Saga and Nagasaki Prefectures) centred on Arita Town in Saga Prefecture, which was the shipping port for porcelain.The name derives from Imaritsu (port), the port from which the porcelain was shipped.
Imari ware was the first domestically produced porcelain in Japan, as before that time only ceramics were made from clay and fired at low temperatures.
Ko-Imari refers mainly to Imari ware fired during the Edo period, and there is no fixed definition of its age.
It is also called by different names depending on the date of production and style,
Those made between the 1610s and 1640s are called early Imari.
Ai-ko-kutani (style) for underglaze blue from the 1640s to 1670s, and iroe-ko-kutani (style) for overglaze blue,
The style of dyed ware from the 1670s to the 1700s was known as Ai- Kakiemon (style), while that painted with coloured paintings on a milky white body, known as Nigoshide, came to be known as Iroe- Kakiemon (style) in later times.
Many of the designs are patterned after Chinese porcelain, often with auspicious auspicious designs.
The age of the piece can often be determined from the characteristics of the fabric, the colour of the gosu, the colour of the colour glaze, the moulding, the design and the kiln marks.
Imari ware is recommended as an introduction to antiques and because it is handled by many antique shops, has a wide variety of designs and shapes, and is reasonably priced, so it can be enjoyed for everyday use.
Finding your personal favourite amongst them will bring new enjoyment to your everyday life.
Early Imari, blue and white leaf-shaped dish with the design of camellia 1610s-1630s