Imari ware

"Imari" plate, made at Arita, 18th century

Imari ware (伊万里焼, Imari-yaki) is a type of Arita ware (有田焼, Arita-yaki) traditionally made in the town of Arita, in the former Hizen Province, northwestern Kyūshū. They were exported to Europe extensively from the port of Imari, Saga, between the second half of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century. The name therefore derives from the port of export. Imari ware has been continuously produced up through the present day.

History

Imari ware imitated in Crown Derby porcelain; early 19th century

"Imari" was simply the trans-shipment port for Arita wares. It was the kilns at Arita which formed the heart of the Japanese porcelain industry.

Arita's kilns were set up in the 17th century, when kaolin was discovered in 1616 by the immigrant Korean potter, Yi Sam-pyeong (1579–1655). (He may also be known by the name, "Kanage Sambei".) Yi Sam-Pyeong, along with his extended family of 180 persons, left Korea on the offer of a privileged position in Japan. This decision was made after the occurrence of certain Japanese invasions of Korea. After Yi Sam-Pyeong's discovery, his kilns began to produce revised Korean-style blue and white porcelains, known as "Shoki-Imari".

In the mid-17th century there were also a lot of Chinese refugees in Northern Kyushu due to the turmoil on Chinese continent, and it is said one of them brought coloring technique to Arita. Thus Shoki-Imari developed into Ko-Kutani Imari. Ko-Kutani was produced around 1650 for both export and domestic market. Kutani ware is characterized by vivid green, blue, purple, yellow and red colors in bold designs of landscapes and nature. Blue and white porcelain pieces continued to be produced and they are called Ai-Kutani. Ko-Kutani Imari for the export market usually adopted Chinese design structure such as kraak style, whereas Ai-Kutani for the domestic market were highly unique in design and are accordingly valued very much among collectors.

18th-century Imari vase with a cover in the District Museum in Tarnów is an example of export made porcelain assembled by Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth's magnateria.

Ko-Kutani style evolved into Kakiemon style Imari, which was produced for about 50 years around 1700. Kakiemon style was characterized by crisp lines, and bright blue, red and green designs of dramatically stylized floral and bird scenes. Imari achieved its technical and aesthetic peak in Kakiemon style, and it dominated European market. Blue and white Kakiemon is called Ai-Kakiemon. Kakiemon style transformed into Kinrande in the 18th century. Kinrande used blue underglaze and red and gold overglaze, and later some other colors.

Imari began to be exported to Europe when the Chinese kilns at Ching-te-Chen were damaged in the political chaos and the new Qing dynasty government stopped trade in 1656–1684. Exports to Europe were made through the Dutch East India Company, but the designation "Imari porcelain" in Europe connotes Arita wares of mostly Kinrande Imari.

Export of Imari to Europe stopped in mid-18th century when China resumed export to Europe, since Imari was not able to compete against China due to high labor costs. By that time, however, both Imari and Kakiemon style were already so popular among Europeans, Chinese export porcelain copied both Imari and Kakiemon style, which is called Chinese Imari. At the same time, European kilns, such as Meissen and English potteries such as Johnson Bros. and (Royal) Crown Derby imitated the Imari and Kakiemon styles.

Export of Imari surged again in late 19th century (Meiji era) when Japonism flourished in Europe. Thus in the western world today, two kinds of true Japanese Imari can be found: that exported in the mid-Edo period, and that exported in the Meiji. From the viewpoint of collectors these two types are completely different, though Kinrande appearances are similar.

Characteristics

Though there are many types of Arita, the conception in the West of it in the popular sense is associated only with a type of Arita produced and exported in large quantity in mid-17th century. This type is called Kin-rande. Kin-rande Arita is colored porcelain and ceramic with cobalt blue underglaze and red and gold overglaze. The color combination was not seen in China at that time. Traditional Ming dynasty color porcelain used dominantly red and green, probably due to scarcity of gold in China, whereas gold was abundant in Japan in those days.

The subject matter of Arita is diverse, ranging from foliage and flowers to people, scenery and abstractions. Some design structures such as Kraak porcelain were adopted from China, but most designs were uniquely Japanese owing to the rich Japanese tradition of paintings and costume design. The porcelain has a gritty texture on the bases, where it is not covered by glaze. There is also blue and white Imari.

Chinese Imari

Chinese "imari" dish, early Qing Dynasty, c. 1700–25 (Topkapı Museum, Istanbul)

Though sophisticated wares in authentic Japanese styles were being made at Arita for the fastidious home market, European–style designations of Arita porcelain were formed after blue and white kraak porcelains, imitating Chinese underglaze "blue-and-white" wares, or made use of enamel colors over underglazes of cobalt blue and iron red. The ware often used copious gilding, sometimes with spare isolated sprigged vignettes, but often densely patterned in compartments. There were two quite different styles in these wares. Globular Imari teapots with swan-necked spouts helped establish the classic European form for these new necessities of life.

Dutch traders had a monopoly on the insatiable export trade, the first large order being placed at Arita by the Dutch East India Company in 1656. The trade peaked in the late 17th century and was slowly replaced by Chinese kilns in the early 18th century; it ended in 1756, as social conditions in China settled with the full establishment of the Qing Dynasty. Imitating Arita designs, fine "Chinese Imari" export wares were produced in the 18th century, eclipsing the original Japanese exports.

Imari patterns, as well as "Kakiemon" designs and palette of colors, influenced some early Orientalizing wares produced by the porcelain manufactories at Meissen, Chantilly, or later at Vincennes.

European centers imitated the style of "Imari" wares, initially in faience at Delft in the Netherlands, and in the early 19th century at Robert Chamberlain's factory at Worcester.

References

• Henry Trubner, "Japanese Ceramics: A Brief History", in Seattle Art Museum, Ceramic Art of Japan, 1972.
• Tsuneko S. Sadao and Stephanie Wada, Discovering the Arts of Japan: A Historical Overview, 2003

Further reading

• Takeshi, Nagatake (1979). Japanese ceramics from the Tanakamaru collection. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

External links

• Japanese porcelain marks