Ethnic Japanese Pottery Growth and Development
The growth of ceramics in Japan practically began in the Momoyama era (1568 to 1615). The tradition of Japanese ceramics for commercial purposes is relatively recent best place to buy Japanese porcelain ware although pottery has been made there since 5000 BC with coils, ornamented by rope patterns which were hand impressed and scorched in the open.
The major advancement of Japanese pottery took place between 1592 and 1597, when a large number of Korean potters were brought to Japan as incarcerated. At the same time the Tea Ceremony gained its popularity among the aristocratic and military class. The ritual was a highly stylish one associated with Zen Buddhism where tremendous importance was given to the forms and functions of pottery. The efforts of Sen-no Rikyu (1521 to 1591) led to greater innovation and improvement of Japanese pottery. Predisposed by the savor of the tea masters, Raku was launched during this era.
In the Edo period (1615 to 1868) porcelain clay was found at Arita. Imitating the Chinese and Korean potters the first Japanese porcelain was made. After the fall of the Ming Dynasty in China, Japan became the leading exporter of pottery in Europe, thus fostering the further refinement and innovation of Japanese pottery. Traditional pottery flourished and Kyoto became the heart of ceramic activities. The famous Japanese potter Ogata Kenzan (1663 to 1743) developed a wide range of pottery with tasteful designs. Progressively, Japanese pottery became highly decorated with a fetish for techniques.
The Tokugawa shogunate faced downfall in 1868 and Japan slowly got converted to modern Japan with the advent of industrialization. Being unable to compete with modern mass production, the traditional potters resorted to their old methods of masking potteries through folk inspiration. Various movements like Folk Art Movement were organized to bring the potters into the main stream, and a number of exhibitions were held to regain the traditional heritage.
Types of Japanese pottery-
1 Bizen Yaki , manufactured in Okayama.. it is a reddish brown ceramic also known as Inbe yaki.