What is Imari Porcelain?
While porcelain was first fired and created in the early seventeenth century by Korean potters, thankfully Ri Sanpei brought this discovery over to Japan from the second invasion of Korea in 1597. The earliest images of Imari porcelain date back to this time and include porcelains in white and celadon hues with the traditional cobalt pigments. However, as the practice of Imari porcelain became more advanced, it introduced the use of enamels in colors such as red, blue, yellow, green, purple and gold. This porcelain became quite popular in the later 1600s and led to a time of great wealth for the producers. Imari is actually the name given to porcelains that were made in Arita, Hizen province which is on the island of Kyushu. While the production wasn’t limited to this area, many collectors look for pieces from this region. But the name Imari comes from the Japanese port town that was used by the Dutch to ship the porcelain to others parts of Japan as well as abroad. What’s interesting
