Arita ware
Porcelana de Arita
- Date
- c. 1616 · confidence low
- Place
- Arita, Saga, Japan
- Credited to
- Yi Sam-pyeong
- Field
- Matter & energy
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Japanese porcelain produced in the Arita region. According to tradition, it began after kaolin clay was discovered by Korean-born potter Yi Sam-pyeong around 1616, giving rise to the first porcelain made in Japan; the attribution is not documented in contemporary sources.
What it led to
- the basis for European exports of Japanese porcelain (Imari, Kakiemon)
- drove the Kyūshū ceramics industry for centuries
- influenced 18th-century European porcelain