Imari Bay
The Imari coast of Nishimatsuura-gun is located in the northwest part of Kyushu, and it is known that it was a land where ancient continental peoples crossed over to the island. This is also reflected in the geographical features of the area. There are remains of ancient tombs in the form of horizontal caves in Hiosaki, Higashiyamashiro-mura, and in the small island of Hase, Nishiyamashiro-mura. and Haze no Kojima in Nishiyamashiro Village, there are Koguryo-style horizontal burial mounds, and arrowheads and stone hatchets from the Stone Age have been discovered at Hiosaki.
Iimaro of the Kin
If we consider the fact that the local legend has it that Empress Jingu moored her ship here when she went to war, it seems that this was a deep and good harbor in ancient times, and that it was a deep and good harbor in ancient times, and that it was a deep and good harbor in ancient times, and that it was a deep and good harbor in ancient times, and that it was a deep and good harbor in ancient times, and that it was a deep and good harbor in ancient times, and that it was a deep and good harbor in ancient times, and that it was a deep and good harbor in ancient times, and that it was a deep and good harbor in ancient times, and that it was a deep and good harbor in ancient times, and that it was a deep and good harbor in ancient times, and that it was a deep and good harbor in ancient times, and that it was a deep and good harbor in ancient times, and that it was a deep and good harbor in ancient times, rebelled against the government in Tsukushi, the eldest son of Furu no Komaro (a great-great-grandson of Takeuchi no Sukune, a 11th-generation descendant of the imperial family) and Ono no Hito, Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Ima no Maro came to revere the bravery of Taira no Kiyomori, and built a shrine in Iwakuri to worship him. It is said that from then on, the name Ima no Maro came to be used to refer to this place, and it became known as Iwamari.
In the first year of the Eicho era In the first year of the Eicho era (1097), Minamoto no Hisa, a judge of the Minamoto clan, built the Kajitani Castle in Imafuku and established a stronghold there, and by holding Imari he was able to bolster the power of the Matsuura clan in this region. In the Jisho era (1177-1181), Hisa’s grandson, Kumano no Jiro Shigeaki Takayoshi, who was his son, succeeded him, but after that, his second cousin, Minamoto Saburo, was given the fief of this area and became the lord of Yukihira Castle (the reason why this place is called Mineno Saka is probably because it was the castle of the Minamoto family).
Imanari Gensaburo
later took the name Imari, using the name of the place where he lived, and was known as Imari Gensaburo. However, as he had no sons, he took his cousin, Yajiro Shigeru, as a son-in-law and had a son, Imari Genrokuro.
Kitaoka castle
In the Kan’en era (1243-1247), Tome became the local lord of Imari and built a castle on the northern side of the mountain (now known as Shiroyama Park). His son Minamoto Jiro Katsunobu, along with his father and son, Yamashiro Yasaburo and Matasaburo, and Ishijiro Ken (a descendant of Matsuura Naosuke’s younger brother Masu), defended Iki from the Mongolian forces in 1274, and in the fierce fighting on October 9th, Yamashiro Yasaburo and Ishijiro were killed in action. Imanari Yamashiro Family Tree As shown on the left.
Imanari Jiro opened the castle
In 1577, when Ryuzoji Takanobu attacked the Matsuura clan, Imanari Hyoubu Shousuke, the lord of the Kitaoka castle, made great efforts to defend the castle, but was defeated in battle and opened the castle to the enemy. Takayoshi felt deeply sorry for him and gave him 300 koku of rice from his own lands in Ono, Miya, and Kamimuro. Later, he took Imanari Jirogoro Junji, the nephew of Nabeshima Naoshige, as a son-in-law, and he was called Imanari Jirogoro Junji, but he later changed his name back to Nabeshima changed back to the Nabeshima surname, and the next adopted son of Shigenari was Denbei Shigenari, the grandson of Kiyoaki, and from then on, the family inherited 2,660 koku of rice in Yoshida, Fujitsu County, for generations.
Yamashiro Sadatsugu At this time, the army of the Ryuzoji clan was attacking Yamashiro after having defeated Imari, and the lord of Iimori Castle, Yamashiro Yasushiro Sadatsugu, went out to meet them and set up a defensive position halfway up the side of the mountain, below the castle peak. after a fierce battle at various locations in Hara-kawachi (near Fukugawa) and Mt. Kintoyama, he was defeated and taken prisoner, and eventually surrendered to Takanobu, and served in the Korean campaign under the Nabeshima clan. In later years, the Yamashiro was given to the Tajiri family, and the Tajiri family was transferred to a meadow under a bridge in Kushima County, but it was later moved to Saga and the family name was changed to Nabeshima, and the name was changed to Kizakomon Shigenobu.
Mifuneya
Thus The Imari region thus became a fief of Nabeshima Naoshige, and in 1586 the Kitaoka Castle was destroyed. The names of places such as Imon-gai and Jinnai still bear traces of the castle town. was the only important port in the Saga domain, and the ships of the main and branch domains were stationed there. There was also a ranch for the main domain on nearby Makishima Island. The scenery, with its many islands, including Nanatsushima, is a beautiful picture. Arita and Imari are not only closely connected with the production of porcelain, but also the landing of Korean potters from this port is a topic that should be studied.
The whole country
in the morning During the Imjin War, the army of Naoshige Nabeshima was able to be seen from this Imari on two occasions. At the time, the area from the current Imari Station and the girls’ school to the Nansa (a coastal area) was under the control of the Japanese, and the Hamamachi area was also on the coast . At that time, Naoshige’s ship was moored at the current Inari Shrine in Arita Town (the pottery district in Imari Town), and this can be seen on the monument to the camphor tree there. In addition, there is a place called Funakakure in Hamamachi, and the name of a fishing spot remains in Nansa.
Thus, not only when the Nabeshima army returned to the base It is not difficult to imagine that there were not a few Koreans who not only returned to their homeland when the Nabeshima army returned from battle, but also took advantage of the ships that were coming and going during the war to land at this Imari Port and then moved to various places in the domain. Among them, there was a family called Kōzen , it is not known whether the family that lived in Koimari is the same as the family that is now known as Kōzen-machi.
Human Sacrifice
There is a place called There is a place called Hitobashira (human pillar) near the tunnel at the Imafuku Station (on the border between Kitamatsuura and Nishimatsuura counties) where various pottery fragments have been excavated.
It is said that these were brought back by Sadamaro Yamashiro when he returned from battle.
Alternatively, it is said that followed the army and landed here to open a kiln. Among the fragments, there was a piece that resembled an old piece from the Muneuchi kiln at first glance, with a white brush pattern on the body from the mouth to halfway up the body, and a thread-cut high stand, with an egg-colored glaze.
Shigenari Arita ‘s castle
At the time, the lord of Arita was Arita Hachimon-no-jo Shigenari (the fourth son of Suko Awa-no-kami Nobumichi and the nephew of Ryuzoji Takanobu), who lived in Karafune Castle in the mountains. To the south there was a small village of about 20 households in the north, where the blacksmiths who made weapons for Karasujō Castle lived, and it is said that the Ninoshita family’s residence was in this castle town.
The castle lord, Shigenari is said to have fought bravely in various places during the Korean campaign and to have brought many Koreans back with him when he returned to Japan, but it is also said that some of them, as mentioned above, landed at their own discretion from the port of Imari , and those who opened kilns in various places in the Masan domain, such as Hirose, Kuromuta, Komizo, Minamigawara, and Haraaki, are considered to be part of the Imari lineage.
These Koreans opened kilns in the area around the castle town of Karafune, or in the mountains of Hirose, or in the area around the small village of Magari or the forest of Tenjin, and they spread out from Komizo in the direction of Haraaki and Kuromuta, but if we examine the dates on the tombstones, it seems that the opening of the kilns in Kuromuta was before the Korean War.
Nakano Koji
Matagawa Station Nakano Koji, which is located across the river from Matagawa Station, is said to have been discovered by a Korean family living in Komizo, who discovered clay here and opened a kiln. Fragments of unglazed dishes and bowls with gray or candy-colored glazes have been found, and some of them have simple iron paintings. they began to make porcelain.
Ninose
The village head, Shigenari, had a Korean potter open a kiln in Ninose, but the kiln itself has not been found. It is thought that it was a small-scale kiln, on the scale of the Oniyaki kilns, and that it was completely destroyed when the area was turned into farmland and was completely destroyed when the land was cultivated, and the tombstone of this Korean is enshrined in the front garden of the Iwanaga family farmhouse.
Takakami Jimbi
It is a natural stone two feet tall, and at first glance it looks like an old monument. On the front of the monument, there is a stone monument two feet, five inches tall, with the name “Takaki” engraved on it, and the name of the person who ordered it, Iwanaga Sadaemon, is written on it. The Iwanaga family dates back to the present-day Zenro, and the father is Sadauemon, the father is Takehei, the father is Sadauemon, and the father is Zenro. It is said that the monument was rebuilt in the time of Sadauemon, the great-grandfather, because it was too shabby.
Sweet rice wine and rice dumplings dango
There is an old tradition of offering amazake and fresh dango on November 15th, the anniversary of the death of the god of this area, and the Iwanaga family has continued this tradition without fail for generations. house apparently had black plates and bowls, but they did not place much importance on preserving them, and they were thrown away when they became worn out. It is also unclear whether the Iwanaga family were the descendants of Koreans, or whether they were related to the Arita family and looked after the Koreans.
Komoriya in Hirose Komoriya
It is said that the first group of Koreans who came to Futatsunose split up and opened a kiln in Komoriya, at the mouth of the Hirose mountain. This place is now called Yozemon-yama, and many shards can still be found there. These include , such as tea bowls with white makeup applied to the gray or candy-colored glaze, all of which have unglazed rims, and some of which have creased silk-like patterns. There are also tenmoku tea bowls with a crescent-shaped indentation in the rim made with a spatula, and some have a thread-cut bottom with a small flower stand made in the Chinese style. There are also many small dishes were often made in layers, but later they were fired with small lids as a stand. In later generations, porcelain was produced here, and items such as the light gray ground of the Gozu cat relish bowl and the tokkuri-shaped oil bottle have been preserved.
Koutakayama
Hiros It seems that the various kilns in the Seizan area branched off from Komoriya, and although the origins of the Kogenzan, Koutakusan, and Mukou kilns are unknown, they are now known only for the porcelain fragments that remain. On Koutakusan there is a coarse-meshed round teacup with a painting of a whale by Wuzhou, and in general there are many unglazed ones with a foot ring. Also, there is a white teacup teacups, the foot ring and green waistband are decorated with the Koshu style, and the bottom is made up of four-eyed stacking. For those with a glazed foot ring, there are small plates with underglaze Koshu-style grass painting inside the foot ring, and the aforementioned striped teacups, as well as small plates with underglaze blue and small teacups.
Mukou Kiln
The old wares from the Mukou Kiln include round tea bowls with simple grass patterns painted in Gozu, and a stand-up Buddhist altar with a vine pattern painted in Shimousu cat, as well as grass patterned four-eyed dishes that show small cracks. Or, there are round tea bowls with a plum-blossom-shaped bottom , there are many pieces of qin-ting porcelain, such as round tea bowls with a rough pattern on the inner rim and small bowls of the same type. Among these, there are also early products, such as brown or light blue-ground bowls, which are half-porcelain.
Hirose’s Gongen Gongen-dani
The old kilns at Gongen-dani only produced genuine porcelain, which was a significant step forward from the previous three kilns. This included dishes with a design of birds standing on rocks on the bottom, and bowls with a design of cranes painted on the outside and a design of water plants on the inside. There were also large bowls with a design of fences painted on the outside, and bowls with a design of pine, bamboo and plum, four-handed figures, butterflies, chrysanthemums and paulownia, and a design of grass. , or there are also bowls with pine, bamboo and plum designs, four-handed designs, butterfly designs, chrysanthemum and paulownia designs, and other designs.
There are also bowls with a pattern of arrows, and many of these are also made of green porcelain. It is a 24cm plate with a design of three turtles on the bottom was a 24cm dish with a three-sided tortoise design, and the outside of the bottom rim was covered in celadon glaze. In addition, there were also dishes with a plum design and a raised bottom rim, and round Nara tea bowls with the same design, all of which were covered in celadon glaze.
The stone
These porcelains from the Hirose kilns were, of course, made in the Arita style, and although they were initially made using local materials to make semi-porcelain, they were not perfect, so they were gradually allowed to use the lower-grade Izuyama stone , and during the period of the clan system, they produced simple, low-quality tea bowls and cups for tea with a blue and white pattern, as well as octagonal wells (4.5 cm) with a simple orchid design.
Seimon-guchi glazed stones
After the Meiji Restoration, the quarrying of Izumiyama became unrestricted, and the appearance of the products was completely renewed. The area is known for its beautiful scenery, and it is said to be a convenient place for gathering firewood. In the early years of the Meiji era there were 16 pottery kilns, and among those who were most active were Nakajima Moruemon, Tatebayashi Kosuke, and Mori Magokichi. Today there are around 80 pottery kilns, including Ichikawa Kihei and 45 other pottery kilns.
There are those who say that the Korean lineage of this Hirose There are those who say that the Korean lineage branched off to Oobori and Kuromuta. However, even though the roads have been developed in modern times, it is clear that in the past, people travelled to Kuromuta and Oobori from Hirose, and there is no doubt that they were not the only ones to do so, as there were boars and rabbits, etc. Furthermore, the opening of the kilns in Kuromuta belongs to a very old belonged to a very old period, and as the kilns in this area were already in use during the porcelain production period, there is no evidence of pottery being fired here.
Ouhouzan
Ouhou There are places called Kakinotani, Matsuyama, and Kamotani, and the name “Ouhouzan” was originally written as “Ouhozan”. (In a few In some pottery books, it is mistakenly written as Takabusa-yama. The aforementioned Futase and Hirose-yama are related to Oyama-mura, but this Oobori is in Arita-mura. At first, they used the stones from the area around Mt. Mure as raw materials to make soft, light grey porcelain.
Kaki-no-tani
Of these, Kaki-no-tani valley is the oldest, and there are small plates with lines drawn on the rim and base in the style of grass, and with flowers dotted in large brushstrokes. There are also small plates with double-twisted patterns, waterweed paintings, and vine-like calligraphy, all of which are extremely childish in style, and many of them have small cracks in the glaze surface due to the low height of the foot ring . There are also tea bowls with a blue-green exterior and unglazed foot ring, and others with a single brushstroke of chrysanthemum on the inside and only a Tenmoku glaze on the outside.
Matsuyama
Matsuyama , the old kiln products were exclusively oil bottles, and the main shape was a round body, with many of the white-ground ones also having red designs on them. There were also oil bottles with the usual Wuzhou cat-claw pattern, or with grass designs painted on them.
Of the old kiln products from the Valley
The old wares from the valley of the Gyobu kiln include small plates with a floral pattern on a coarse background, deep plates with floral designs on the inside of the rim, and plates with the character “hi” (meaning “sun” or “day”) written on the bottom, all of which have small footrings. There are also small bottles with a floral pattern on two sides or a thin blue-and-white pattern, as well as inverted washbasins with a bat design on a thunder pattern and tea bowls with a Hachikyo pattern. , two-sided floral designs or small bottles with a thin blue-and-white design, as well as inverted washbasins with a thunder pattern and a bat design, and tea bowls with a Hachibashi design, are all examples of the already-refined period of underglaze blue-and-white porcelain.
Sake bottle
During the feudal era, this mountain was a place where low-quality stone was distributed to the lowest-class kilns in Arita, and it was a place where sake bottles and small bottles were produced. In the early Meiji era there were over ten kilns, but today there are only a few dozen, including Tokunaga Koichi, Taketomi Kensuke, Harada Shigekichi, Harada Chizou and a few others.
Kuromuta Mountain
The old kilns on Mt. Kuromuta include Hiramatsu, Urayama, Miyanomoto, Yamahata no Ichi, Yamahata no Ni, Taramotoyu, Taramotokasa, Taramotoyamagami, Kyokoyama, Semeki, and the new Kuromuta kiln. Of these, the Kyokoyama kiln and the new kiln are already in the period of mastery and are porcelain kilns.
Korean Tombs of the Nishiyama Family
There used to be many Korean tombs in Hiramatsu, but now there are only about 6 or 7 remaining, and some of them have tombstones carved into them, while others are made of natural stone. Among them, the oldest is the tomb of a Korean who was a brewer from the neighboring village of Magari, and it is inscribed with the date “June 2nd, 1594” (Bunroku 2, Kikisai) as “Shikisando Yumishin” , and on the other, it says “Sei Gokou Senjo Nobu Onna” (Sei Gokou Senjo Nobu Onna) and is dated “Kanbun 6 Heigo August 10th (1666)”. The person who died 74 years after the former is thought to be a parent or a younger sister, not a married couple.
Furthermore, on this tomb stone is inscribed with the name of the ancestors of the Nishiyama family, but it is thought that this was added later, and in any case, this tombstone has been known as the tombstone of the Nishiyama sake brewery since ancient times tombstone has been known as the tombstone of the Nishiyama sake brewery, and an annual ancestral festival was held there, and there were also family trees and other records, but it is said that it was destroyed in a fire at the family home some years ago. The person who left the Nishiyama sake brewery and entered the family home in Nagoya was Hachijiro Matsumura.
Nishiyama Family Name Research
There are many people who have taken the surname Nishiyama, crossing from this Kuromuta Mountain to the Kurayado area, and it is thought that, like the Kanagae family of Arita, when the accompanying Koreans aged, they all used the surname Nishiyama, but it is necessary to consider this more carefully.
Also, the posthumous Buddhist name on this gravestone is the name of the person buried here, and it seems that he was the first person to teach pottery making in this area, and that he was the founder of the area, but the main point to consider about this tombstone is that he died in 1594.
The first period of the arrival of Koreans in Japan
Nabeshima Naoshige The first Korean campaign was launched in March 1593, and after negotiations with the Ming envoy in 1595, our troops retreated to Busan, and returned to the battlefield in November 1596, the first month of the Keicho era. Therefore, even if someone came to Japan early in the war by ship, if they died immediately, the meaning of the founder would be lost. , even if he came to Japan early by ship at the beginning of the war, if he died immediately, the meaning of the founder would be lost. If we consider the death of this person If we consider the fact that this Korean came to this area and opened a kiln here before the Bunroku era, during the Tensho era, it is not unreasonable to assume that the Koreans who came here during the warring states period followed his example and all used the Nishiyama surname.
Tonroku-san
On a small hill in Kuromuta, there is a shrine to the Korean god called Tonroku, and it seems that this Korean was the most important contributor among the potters, and even the small village at the foot of the hill is called Tonroku. Furthermore, during the Keicho period (1596-1615), there were some Korean potters who landed in Hirado during the battle, and some of them were also called Tonroku, but it is not the same person. During the Keicho period (1596-1615), there were Korean potters who landed in Hirado along with the great battle, and some of them were called Tonroku, but it is probably too hasty to assume that this is the same person with a different name, or that this area is part of the Hirado lineage simply because of this same name. Also, there is a theory that the Tonroku here Tonroku is said to be a nickname that Koreans gave themselves in Japan, like Seiroku, who opened a pottery on the Arakawa Bridge, but in the past, many Korean names used in Japan were variations on the names of Japanese people, such as Naoemon, Nabe, Nataro, and Nizo, and names like Tonroku were very rare. It is is nothing more than a translation of the Korean pronunciation into Chinese characters.
The Great Man of Kanayama great man
If you climb to the top of this small hill, you will find a stone pagoda with a roof-shaped crown, about three feet high, enshrined there. This is the pagoda of Tonroku, and as you can see, the newer pagoda has been rebuilt in later years, but there is still one stone lantern from the old pagoda period left. And on the surface of the pagoda is engraved on the surface of the pagoda. If you ask, “Kinzan” is the name of a place in Korea, and “Chankun-taikan” is the Korean word for “worshiping adults”. Anyway, it seems that this pagoda was built by Koreans at the time, and there is no doubt that Kinzan’s adult Tonroku was the leader of the Koreans in this area.
Hiramatsu and Urasan mountain
The old pottery from Hiramatsu includes the usual ame-yō (candy-glaze) and ō-iro (greenish-brown) glazed dishes, as well as heavy, unglazed tea bowls with a wide unglazed area around the foot ring. The pottery from the Ura-yama remains, in addition to the pottery similar to Hiramatsu, there are already some pieces of underglaze porcelain being fired here. These include a three-inch-deep incense burner and a tea bowl painted in the style of the Goushu school, and the largest number of pieces are various celadon wares.
This Kuromuta also began to imitate the Arita method and experiment with soft, low-grade porcelain, and if you look at the raw material sites in Tofuyadani and Ichidani here, you can’t help but imagine how much was mined.
Miyamoto
The old kiln site of Miyamoto The remains of the old kilns at Miyanomoto can still be seen in the fields. The remains grey-glazed or candy-glazed bowls and three-holed, flat-bottomed dishes, all of which were fired without a foot ring. There are also small plates with a thick greenish blue celadon glaze, unglazed foot ring plates with a seven-colored hand-painted blue background, and fragments with a gold-brown mottled pattern and peony reliefs, as well as pink-glazed bowls. Among the porcelain there are pieces with brown glaze and gold-brown flecks, and there are also tea bowls with crab designs and small plates with chrysanthemum designs. In the area of Shimogoshu, which is also known as Tetsuneko, there are also tea bowls with rough net designs.
Yamahata
The kiln sites of Yamahata The kiln sites are scattered all over the area, and there are so many that it seems there were three or four of them. The shards include small plates with gray or greenish-blue glazes, and there are also bowls and tea bowls with three or four layers of stacked unglazed bases, some of which show creases. There are also small tea bowls with thread-cut There are also small tea bowls with high rims, bowls with a gray glaze, and large plates measuring 24 to 27 cm in diameter, but it goes without saying that all of these are stacked on their bases.
There are also there is a lot of soft porcelain being fired. There are round tea bowls with grass paintings on the inside bottom in the Wuzhou style, and also the same kind of unglazed tall bowls in the Taibai style. There are also small dishes in the shape of small chrysanthemums with birds and flowers painted inside the bottom lines, but the unglazed tall bowls are very small.
The former site of the Motoyama
Motoyama The kiln ruins to the right of the Motoyama kiln are next to the Kyokko kiln, and among the fragments there are bowls with a brown glaze and a gray glaze, all of which have a thread-cut base, as well as bowls with a gray glaze and gold-brown glaze. The small hill next to this the small hill to the left is the remains of the left kiln, and the remains are generally the same as those of the right kiln. Among the changed items, there is a tea bowl with a brown glaze and white wave brush marks. Both of these items are also soft-paste porcelain, and the main item is the Tenryu-ji celadon tea bowl.
The shrine of shrine
Next, the kiln on the former mountain of Tatarayama is in a deep mountain above the new kiln, and only underglaze porcelain is fired here. From this area all the way to the old kilns in Komizo, and if you climb up through the small bamboo grove above the aforementioned old kilns, you will find an old stone shrine with a roof, which is said to be the god of Tarara.
Tarara
On the Shiino-mine (peak) there are kiln remains in Kami-tara, Naka-tara and Shimo-tara, and the god of Tala is worshipped there. In Uchida, in the Takeuchi kiln, there is a large kiln called Tala-no-tsuji (also known as Otani), and there is also a place called Tala in the same village, on the Toki-yama (pottery mountain). Also, in Asahi-mura , and there is also a record of the Nagahayama area in Mikawachi being called the “Tataragama”. In short, the word “Tataro” is thought to be related to pottery, but its origin is unknown. It may also be necessary to consider the possibility that the word “Tataro” refers to the pine wood used to fire the kilns.
In the Dazaifu Kan’nai In the book “Kashii Jinyo-ki”, it is written that “it is the seashore between Kashii and Hakozaki” (Kashii Jinyo-ki)
On the 10th of June, I went to Kashii-no-ura and danced. I sailed my boat to a distant, dry beach, and then went to the beach of Tataraga-hama.
In ancient times I can still see the traces of the metal workers here, and I can still see the traces of the metal workers here, and I can still see the traces of the metal workers here, and I can still see the traces of the metal workers here, and I can still see the traces of the metal workers here, and I can still see the traces of the metal workers here, and I can still see the traces of the metal workers here, and I can still see the traces of the metal workers here, and I can still see the traces of the metal workers here, and I can still see the traces of the metal workers here, and I can still see the traces of the metal workers here, and I can still see the traces of the metal workers here, and I can still see the traces of the metal workers here, and I can still see the traces of the metal workers here, and I can still see the traces of the metal workers here, and I can still see the traces of the metal workers here, and I can still see the traces of the metal workers here, and I changed his name from Tarara to Ouchi and lived in Suo, which is far away. The story of Tarara in Suo Province should be told in detail within Suo Province.
And according to the Yamaguchi family tree, According to the Yamaguchi family tree, Prince Rinsei, the third son of Emperor Seimei, came to Japan from the Korean kingdom of Baekje on March 2nd of the 19th year of the reign of Empress Suiko as a hostage, and lived in the Suo province of Ouchi. He became a Japanese citizen and was appointed governor of the Oshu region. The third generation, Prince Yokei Fukudō first discovered gold dust in our country, and it was used for the Great Buddha of Nanbu, and he was granted the surname of Tara by the Emperor. The fourth generation was the famous painter The 28th generation is said to be Ouchi Yoshiharu. Although the meaning of the name “Tahara” is unclear, the fact that they discovered gold dust suggests that they may have used a bellows for smelting. Also, the name “Tahara” is used for the metal used to make the rust-proofing on car wheels, but it was not used in the past. used for rust-proofing metal objects, although it was once called “tara (house) saifu”, it is not used anymore, and as the above-mentioned waka poem also shows, it is often associated with the bellows.
Bellows
According to there are many remains of gold mining in the Hasa-mi area from the Arita gold mine, and it is said that there were many people who moved to this area from other counties due to the Isoyama project around the Keian (1648-1652) and Shouou (1652 -1655), it is said that many people moved to this area from other counties. It is unclear whether the name “Tafutsu” comes from the foot bellows used in the crucibles for gold mining, which were operated by foot.
Also, in the Hishino In the area of Hatanaka, countless iron shavings are exposed, and it seems that the area is called Tarabashi Bridge, which is next to the current elementary school, because there is a small mountain in the area. Or, clay boards are called was called Yura, and when a higher firing temperature was required for pottery kilns such as Oniyaki, a brazier was used, and the god of fire was worshipped with the intention of praying to the god of fire, and the god of Tara was worshipped, but in detail, there is no choice but to ask the number of scholars.
Kuromuta products
During the han system, Kuromuta porcelain was the same as that of Sotoyama, with square bowls and oval dishes, and although the patterns were limited to only nine types, there was a time when Kuromuta produced excellent works that were rarely seen even in Arita. In addition, the aforementioned oval dishes , hexagonal, octagonal, square and long-cornered cornered bowls, or picture frames, were decorated with landscapes, flowers and birds, or sketches in Gousu-sometsuke, and celadon was poured into the spaces between them. This was called Kuromuta was called Kuromuta celadon, and was considered to be one of the distinctive types of pottery produced in the area at the time. The production of large bowls was considered to be a technique unique to Kuromuta, and was not to be imitated by other kilns.
Large bowls from Kuromuta
This large bowl was first created by Kajiwara Chuzo, with a diameter of 2 shaku 5 sun, and was then increased to 3 shaku in diameter, and on the way, it was possible to produce it up to 4 shaku in diameter. In addition, there is a 2 shaku 5 sun bowl in the shape of a sea bream, and there is a 2 shaku 7 sun bowl in the shape of a small oval. Arita bowls do not use a mold , and as they were made entirely on the potter’s wheel, it was impossible to make large bowls over 2 shaku in size. Therefore, all large bowls over this size were ordered from Kuromuta, painted red, and then sold with the Kuromuta trademark.
Tadazo Kajiwara
The head of the pottery at this mountain Kajiwara Chuzo, the head of the kiln at the mountain, was an excellent potter who produced goods for the feudal lord of the Matsudaira family (32,000 koku) in Kunisaki (Hayami County) in Bungo Province, with the permission of the feudal clan. Three of the family’s official nameplates from that time have been preserved by his descendants three of the official nameplates from that time are preserved, and they are 2 shaku 2 sun long and 5 sun wide, with the words “offering jar Matsudaira” written in large letters on the front, and the names of the stewards of the household written at the bottom of the back.
Kitsuki Domain official nameplate label, upper part of the label, lower part of the label
Items for the use of Matsudaira Kawachi no Kami, the superintendent of the kitchen
Watanabe Hachiroji
Nigami Kichizaemon
Oyama Shigoro
Items for the use of Matsudaira Ichimasa, the superintendent of the kitchen
Watanabe Hachiroji
Oyama Shigoro
I Saburosuke
Katsutaro
Gokuraku
Items for the Shima-no-kami Matsudaira, food supply official
Jinko
Juko
Shiro
In summary, it seems that this offering seem to have been a gift from the lord of the Kitsuki domain to the shogunate, or perhaps they were pickle jars that were presented as they were, with the pickled fruits of the local specialty, the Bungo plum, still inside. In the military register, there is an entry for a gift of pickled plums in October from the same family. and other lords. Also, the name Matsudaira Ichimasa is thought to be that of the feudal lord Chikazumi.
Kuromuta Pottery
Around the beginning of the Meiji era, there were 12 or 13 pottery kilns in Kuromuta, and the most prominent of these were the Kajiwara Yaokichi and Kajiwara Hantei pottery kilns. Also, as this area was the center of Arita was the center of the Arita area, and there was a branch office of the porcelain industry association, and there were many famous potters from ancient times. The number of kilns in the area today is around 50, including the kilns of Kenichi Kajiwara, Teiichi Kajiwara, and Seihei Fukushima.
Maruo Kilns
The remains of the old kilns in Maruo ‘s old kiln site is now a terraced field called Sunotani. In the bamboo grove that can be seen as the head of the kiln, a small stone with a sun (the sun god) carved into it has been erected. The old kiln products from this area are made from Arita Izumiyama stone, and include small plates with underglaze blue designs and round bowls with round designs, but they are already full-fledged underglaze blue porcelain.
Maruo Celadon
In particular The main product was his Tenryuji celadon ware, which, as mentioned above, is said to have been made by a craftsman at the San-no-moto kiln, but the details of its origins and closure are unknown. The remaining fragments include , there are also fragments of raised relief. Among them, there are not a few that have been eaten into by clay stains, and have been made to look like seven-handled bowls. It seems that this Maruo kiln seems to have been abandoned not long ago, and this celadon glaze technique has been passed on to the aforementioned Kuromuta. And now there is a pottery here.
Mausu Valley on the outside of Mt.
On the old kiln site on Mt. Gai, there is a new kiln and an old kiln called Mausu Valley, and the new kiln site is where the road to Aoki’s villa now goes, which is called Gai-no-to. This place was used until the Meiji era, so there is no need to say more. The Mōtani collection also consists entirely of late-period blue-and-white porcelain, including a seven-inch bowl with a rabbit design on the bottom, a six-inch plate with a heron design, and a seven-inch Asai bowl with a Kano-style landscape design on the inside.
Otsu celadon
There are also many bowls of Maruo-style Tenryuji celadon, and among them were excellent fragments of celadon with a saya-gata pattern in underglaze blue. The area is now a cemetery, but there is a square, semi-natural stone about four feet high and nine inches wide, built under a cedar tree. The stone has already fallen apart, and there is nothing to read on it, but it may be that this stone is the mausoleum of a Korean ancestor.
During the han system, the products of Sotoyama included square bowls, small oval dishes, and Tosa-mukou edge bowls. These were up to 36cm, 39cm, and 45cm in size, and some of them had elaborate designs (senjo) drawn using pigments from the upper reaches of the Kuzuu River. Considering the types of products made here, it seems that this was a branch kiln of the former Kuromuta kiln. The old kiln was home to a number of potters, including Okushi Kazaemon, Fujimoto Kikusuke, Aoki Kiheiji, and Aoki Takichi.
Aoki Factory
At present, there are 645 households in the area, including the Aoki Jinichiro (Kyodai Shokai) Fujimoto Sukegai and other households. The Aoki factory in particular is well-equipped with new machinery and other facilities, and is considered a model factory in the area. In addition, there are one pottery in the Ootawara area, three in the Taira area of Oomura, and 10,000 in the Kuwakoba area.
Having finished with the pottery of Arita Village, we will now turn to Magawa Village, and then move on to Minamigawara from the Komizo area, and describe it. First, we will go to Maruo as a waypoint, and from here, if we go down a few towns to the west, we will reach Komizo.
Biku Residence: There is a small plot of farmland on the hill in Komizo, and this is where the Korean potter used to live. (There is also a Biku residence in the valley of the Hara Myo kiln, and the similarity of the works there may be due to this lineage.) There is also an old shrine at the foot of this hill, where this Biku is worshipped. When I checked the object that seemed to be the main body in the back of the hall, it was a solid stone that narrowed at the top, and there was nothing to note except that it had a breastplate layered on it many times.
It is unclear what kind of person this Korean was, but he was a very powerful potter here and must have been a particularly hardworking person. Furthermore, the Korean potter was not a Buddhist priest, and the fact that the name “Lee” was placed above the name “Bi” was also strange, so it was very difficult to find any clues in this investigation.
Yumi-hen
However, one day I came across an article in the western edition of the Osaka Mainichi newspaper about the pottery produced in Minamikawara in years gone by, and when I read that a Korean named Yumi had come to the area, I finally got a clue. There are quite a few old pottery marks in this area that use the character “yumi”. When I examined the yumi marks on these kiln marks, I found that many of them were simplified versions of the character “ken” from the Qianlong period, and I still hadn’t been able to get to the real core of the problem.
The pronunciation of “hiki
Afterwards, I thought that the pronunciation of ‘hiki’ was a corruption of the pronunciation of ‘hiku’, and that someone had taken the vertical bar out of the character and called it ‘yumi’. Although there is no character for “hiki” in the Korean alphabet, while searching for a character similar to it, I found the character “i” and was overjoyed, but since it was impossible to read the Korean alphabet, I visited my friend in Kashima and received some help.
Kuukui
According to this, if you break down the Chinese characters into their component parts, the “fu” is the consonant “kakikuke” and the “ichi” is the vowel “u” of “aiueo”, and the “-” is pronounced as the same vowel “i”. When these five characters are put together, they are pronounced as the Korean ‘ku-kwi’ sound. In addition, when I looked at the article in the Japanese pottery history chronology at the beginning of this book, which says, “In the reign of Emperor Yuryaku, the Baekje people built a kiln and brought back the noble people of the Koutei-bu, etc.,” I came to the following conclusion.
The noble family,
that is, this noble family, has been a family line of Korean potters since ancient times, and when the noble family, who were the descendants of this family, happened to come to this place and opened a kiln, they wrote the characters for their family name to show it, but the Japanese people misread them as the characters for the word “hiku” (meaning “to open”), and called them “hikusan” realizing that there was a similar character in Japanese that was read as ‘hiku’, he replied in the same way, and it became his name. After his death, it was pronounced as ‘piku’ over the next few hundred years, and eventually came to be called ‘Hikuyashiki’ and other such names.
Komizo Sakyō
Following the bank behind Bikudō, you will come to a valley, and the terraced fields that slope down from Bikudō are the remains of Sakyō. The remaining pieces include a square plate with a corner cut and a brown glaze, a small bowl with a gray glaze, a bowl with a brown glaze, and a jar with a gray glaze, all of which are unglazed. In addition, the porcelain produced here seems to have been made using the raw materials of Izumiyama, and there are many fragments of blue and white porcelain. There are many very crude patterns, such as a house with a banana tree on a rock that looks like a crab. There are also small dishes with a green glaze painted on pale celadon, and the base is fired in a three-layered pattern.
Komizo U-yō
The U-yō kiln is located on the hill to the right of the embankment, below the Inari shrine, and it is not known whether it is used in conjunction with the left-hand kiln. The products are also almost all the same. There are tea bowls with a gold-brown flecked Tenmoku glaze, deep plates with a white slip, and small plates with an amber-colored glaze and a rippled edge, all of which are in the same style as those made at the Hara Myo kiln. The porcelain is also generally similar to that made at the Hara Myo kiln, and there are many plates with a “snake’s eye” pattern, some with as many as 45 dots.
Old kilns in the Minamigawara area
Next, in the Minamigawara area across the river, there are the following old kiln sites: Seiroku Kiln 1, Seiroku Kiln 2, Seiroku Kiln 3, Komonari, Tenjin no Mori Kami-gama, Tenjin no Mori Shita-gama, Yama no Tsuji, Kakiuemon’s Old Kiln, Kakiuemon’s Upper Kiln, Higuchi’s Kiln, Tenmokuzan Genzaemon Hayashi, Taeemon’s Kiln, Muganzi Valley, etc.
The Seiroku I kiln at the Waraebashi Bridge was built by a Korean named Seiroku, who took over the kiln after the Korean potter Ri Sam-pyong left shortly after opening it. The third kiln was later used to make porcelain rather than pottery.
A Study of the Place Name “Namcheon-gwon
Namcheon-gwon is said to have been named after the first group of Koreans to settle in Namwon-gun, Jeollabuk-do, but old documents all refer to it as Namha-won, so there is a theory that it should be read as Nanka-gen. There are also various theories, such as that it should be called Nankora or Nankogoryo. This area was once the territory of Nabeshima Naozumi, the feudal lord of the Hasuike domain, but in October of the fourth year of the Keian era (1651), Naozumi exchanged this area for the Kamikuma mountain in the Fujitsu district. This is probably because Kamikuma was a region that was larger than Minamigawara, which was adjacent to his own territory.
Komonari Kiln
The remains of the Komonari kiln are located in a field on the left-hand side of Minamigawara, near a palm tree. There are also some old shards that can be found in the middle of a shrine dedicated to the mountain god. There are many examples of the usual candy-colored glaze, gray-glazed small dishes and bowls with a thick bottom, and among these are bowls with a chestnut-colored glaze and white brush marks, and thin blue-colored dishes with a thick bottom, all of which have no foot ring. The white glazed tea bowls with inverted shapes seem to be later works, and although they have already reached the level of porcelain, they seem to have been fired after the porcelain.
Tenjin no Mori Kami
At the Tenjin no Mori Kami kiln, there are many green-glazed dishes with the usual candy glaze, gray glaze, or greenish-blue glaze, and there are also not a few tea bowls and round dishes of the same type. In addition, there are many unglazed footed bowls, such as bowls with tenmoku glaze, bowls with white slip and four-eyed decoration, bowls with carved green stripes in a dark brown glaze, and seven-inch plates with uneven brown glaze. There are also large plates with gray glaze applied to red clay, and then a thick brown glaze brushed on the surface to create a pattern of banana leaves. There are also summer tea bowls with a mottled tortoiseshell glaze that have already been fired to semi-porcelain.
There is a legend that the Tenjin no Mori kiln was the first in the region to fire porcelain. It is unclear what materials were used, but it is clear that it was made by a Korean potter who demonstrated outstanding technique. The remaining pieces include a 24cm plate with a design of plum blossoms in underglaze blue, a bowl with a design of chrysanthemums in underglaze green, a bowl with a design of chrysanthemums, and various other miscellaneous pieces, all of which are authentic, but the designs are rather crude in comparison to the workmanship.
Morishita of Tenjin
It seems that Morishita of Tenjin also opened a kiln, and here too, they changed from making pottery to porcelain. In the old pottery wares, there are unglazed greenish brown bowls with a foot ring, and large bowls with black tenmoku glaze, which are completely fired to a stoneware quality. Other unusual pieces include a four-inch plate with a dark iron glaze and a five-inch bowl with a chestnut glaze and Mishima-te (a type of decoration) and a white egret inlaid on the bottom.
Among the porcelain fragments, there are a five-inch round dish with a landscape design in underglaze blue, a large tea bowl with a pine, bamboo and plum design on a green ground, a ruri-yaki (lusterware) bowl with a ridged chrysanthemum design, a thin blue-and-white porcelain bowl with a ridged design, a four-sided bowl with a design of good fortune, and a celadon bowl. There are shards of tea bowls with a “longevity” design around the rim, or celadon bowls, but the patterns are often crude, as with the upper kiln, and the use of chrysanthemum shapes and designs is common to both kilns.
Minamikawa The Tsuji Kiln
The Tsuji Kiln is located on the hill of the small town of Naruetsu, and enshrines Amaterasu Oomikami on a mirror-shaped stone about three feet in diameter. is the remains of a kiln, and the products made here are all late-period, finished porcelain. The fragments include a 15 cm-diameter bowl with underglaze blue designs, a 15 cm-diameter dish with underglaze green dragon designs, a square bowl with underglaze green landscape designs, and fragments of a large bowl that looks like chrome celadon.
Kakiemon On the upper part of the kiln
There are two old kiln sites at the foot of the mountain called Toshikisan, and the lower one is the old kiln site of Kakiemon, but the upper one is thought to be a kiln for the Nabeshima clan that was moved from Arita Iwayagawauchi. At this kiln produced underglaze blue and white porcelain, and the red underglaze designs on white porcelain were probably made by Kakiemon.
Kakiemon’s Old Kiln
If you climb up the back of the Kakiemon residence, you will find the remains of the old kiln. there are small oval bowls with a light brown glaze, square bowls with a candy glaze, and deep black bowls with a Tenmoku glaze. All of them have unglazed rims, and some of them have creases in the shape of a coiled snake. There are also candy-glazed dishes and other items that have been fired in a five-layered pattern.
Or there is a small, two-sided, rimmed bowl with a design of a well-shaped iron drawing on both sides, and the foot is carved into a crescent shape, and there are creases in the inside of the foot. There is also a there are also items with a simple wavy pattern painted on both sides, such as a coffee cup with a handle, and they are glazed in a dark brown or candy-colored glaze. Other items, such as a gray-glazed sencha tea bowl, are unglazed on the foot ring.
The above the above-mentioned pottery is thought to be the work of the first Kakiemon, while it is also thought that some of the pieces are the work of Korosuke Takahara. There are also several fragments of late-period, refined porcelain, including white porcelain with a milky glaze, bowls, and other pieces. There are also pieces with a design of There is also a six-inch plate with a design of maple leaves in the center of the dish, a seven-inch plate with a design of peonies and clouds in the center of the dish, and a beautiful piece of qing ware with a red rim.
The old kilns of Kaminamagawara
The above are the remains of old kilns in the lower Minamigawara area. The remains of old kilns in the upper Minamigawara area include the Higu-no-gama and Tenmokuzan kilns at the top of the hill, the Genza-komon-rin kiln opposite the embankment, the Taiza-komon-gama kiln at the foot of the hill opposite the river, and the Muganshi-dani valley on the hill.
Higu-no-gama
The Higu-no-gama ‘s kiln produces only authentic sometsuke porcelain, and it has an excellent collection of works. Among them are a bowl with a design of a carp in the style of Taishaku, a bowl with a design of rocks in the style of Kumadori-dami, a bowl with a design of rippling waves covering the entire exterior, a bowl with a diameter of 30 cm, and a bowl with a design of a round pattern and a diameter of 10 cm.
Or there are also many other fine pieces, such as a bowl with a plain landscape painting on the surface, a bowl with a gourd-shaped base and a 15 cm rim, a celadon-glazed square bowl, a bowl with a twisted arabesque pattern and peony design on the base, and other bowls and plates of various sizes. Among these there is a small round dish with a design of a snake’s eye on the bottom. This is an early work, but the overall style and glaze are magnificent.
Tenmoku mountain
There are many pieces that were fired in the kiln at the back of the curtain, including tenmoku shoulder-flared vases and tea bowls with an inner greenish-blue glaze and an unglazed outer tenmoku footring. Because there are so many tenmoku glaze products among these old kiln products, someone who excavated them named the place Tenmoku Mountain, but this is a place name that no one knows. In later years sometsuke porcelain was also fired here, and there are fragments of it. Among these, there are fragments with 90% of the surface decorated with floral sprays painted in the style of the lower Wu region, and others with a crude network pattern. There are also fragments with a continuous landscape painting, and others with a double-line pattern.
Genzaemon Emonrin
Go down here and turn around to face the embankment, and you will see a small hill with a small trail, which is Emonrin. are also entirely covered in Tenmoku glaze, with the darker pieces displaying a black Tenmoku color and the mottled pieces displaying a tortoiseshell color. Among them are oil-drop Tenmoku pieces with gold-brown flecks, and these various types are referred to as “tai-pi glaze”, “black glaze”, “tortoiseshell glaze”, etc. many of them are tea bowls, and all of them have creases in the unglazed foot ring. In addition, there are unglazed sake bottles made from black clay that have been polished to a smooth finish.
Taemon Kiln
The site of the Taemon Kiln, which is located across the river, has been completely cleared and is now a field.
The products made here products are late-period, refined porcelain, and include large bowls measuring between 30 and 60 cm in diameter, as well as bowls with rims measuring 30.5 cm in diameter and square bowls.
Mukanzi Valley
If you climb up the mountain, splitting through the mixed forest here, you will find the kiln remains of the Mukanzo Valley. There is a six-inch plate with a plum design on a border of underglaze blue arabesque, but the foot ring is very wide and the base is made of needle-pile, and the workmanship and the shrinkage pattern are related to the upper part of the late porcelain. Other There are also small dishes with arabesque patterns around the rim, and fragments with Kansai-style water-flowing patterns brushed with ink, all of which are works by Katsushige, and the glaze has a bluish hue, presenting a floor-like hue.
Muddy hand-made
In addition, it is said that in the past, there was a kiln in front of the Kakiyama family residence that produced beautiful Nankin-yaki ware, but now the area is covered in houses and fields, and the remains have been completely destroyed. At the time when the Kakiemon kilns were flourishing, it is not inconceivable that they built kilns here to manufacture their wares. And in recent years, the excavation of these wares has revealed that there were excellent works produced at the Sarukawa, Mizuo and Tsutsue kilns.
However there is a question as to why they did not extend their talents in this direction. I surmise that the general public’s ability to pay for the labor required for pottery making was not sufficient, and that in other words, demand controlled supply.
Sakai Tadaenishi
There is a man called Sakaida Tadaenishi living on Iimori Mountain in Tatsuomura (the birthplace of General Muto Nobuyoshi) in Shiraishi-go, Kushima-gun, who is said to be a skilled potter. were heard to be making interesting pottery, and in 1616 (the year that Ri Sam-pei discovered the Izumiyama stone pit) he led his family and settled in Minamigawara.
Originally there were people in the Konan Kawahara area who made earthenware and roof tiles from long ago, and the village headman also had many Koreans who had come to Japan to open kilns in various places, and among them, the oldest Korean kilns were those of Kuromuta, Komizo and Komonari. However Ensei moved to this area, and it was with the intention of having his son Kisamemon learn the pottery trade thoroughly. Kisamemon studied the trade with great enthusiasm for about ten years, and although he had gained a great deal of experience and skill, there were still many problems that needed to be researched.
He then invited invited Goshichi
Toshuku, a priest from Manshozan Jōten-ji (a Rinzai temple founded in 1224 by the priest Ennichi) in Kamitsujidō-machi, Hakata, Chikuzen, had been in correspondence with Ensei had been in contact with Ensei through his writings, and when he learned the reason for Ensei’s move to Minamikawara, he introduced the potter Gorojiro Takahara, who was a close friend of his.
I am I am writing to inform you that I have heard that you are doing well. I hope that you will be able to visit us again soon. I remember that you came to our hot spring last year on August 7th, and I was able to show you around and look after you. I would like to express my gratitude for your hospitality. I am writing to inform you that a man named Takahara Goro Shichi, who has been a friend of mine for some time, sent a letter to me last year as detailed in the attached document. Since this spring, I have been living in my temple, and recently I have been living in Higo. Higo has been summoned, but now there is no way to delay. He is a man of strange use, and he is also working on Raku ware and Nanking white-handled pottery. It is a wonderful thing, so if your son is a potter, please talk to him I think it would be a good idea to talk to him about this, so I will send him a letter from Higo. I will send you a separate sheet of paper with a copy of the Osaka Incident, which I think will be of interest to people in later generations. . If you are able to come and stay as you have planned, we will be able to enjoy the long-awaited wind for a long time. Please do not be cold, and we look forward to your visit.
Sincerely Terugoro
Ensei Sakaida
Goro Shichiro was from the Shiino-mine area of Karatsu, but in 1625 he traveled to Kumamoto and the following year (1626) came to the Sakaida residence in Minamikawara.
Ensei father and son were very pleased, and of course they treated Gorosuke as their teacher with great respect. From this point on, Gorosuke showed his various outstanding skills, which need not be mentioned. At this time, Ri Sampei was busy making porcelain in Arita, and the Korean potters from other mountains were envious of his success and were absorbed in their own research. It is not difficult to imagine that the Sakaida father and son had a desire for this.
Gorosichi was a young man when he was called to work as a potter at Hideyoshi’s palace, and although he had many years of experience and was a skilled craftsman, he had always been completely absorbed in the production of pottery, and I am sure that he was very perplexed when he was suddenly asked to make white porcelain.
Letter from Jōten Temple’s Letter
In the letter, his Jōtenji temple’s Tōshuku recommended Gorōshichi, and in the letter’s text
he is is a man of unusual talent, and his work with Raku ware and Nanking white porcelain is truly magnificent. Therefore, if your son is a potter, I think it would be a good idea to consult with him.
And so and there is no evidence that Goroshi was making Nanking white porcelain, and the raw materials needed for its production were not discovered anywhere other than Arita at the time. (Even if there were people who created a record of his work after that (even if someone were to create a biography after his death), the information in this letter is very suspicious, but it seems that Toshikuni, who was a novice in this field, had such a mistaken idea because he trusted Gorosuke’s skills too much.
Goro Goro’s success with white porcelain
However, Goro, who had a natural talent for the extraordinary, could not stop thinking about the Tenjin-no-mori technique he was creating in front of him without some kind of plan. He devoted all his energy to research while teaching Kisuemon,
and put all his energy into his research, and despite numerous failures, he eventually succeeded in making white porcelain. (This was around the time when the couple from Mikawachi, Sanojo and his wife, came to visit.)
There is a theory that Gorosuke learned the secret of making this type of porcelain from a Korean, but There is a theory that Gorosuke learned the secret of porcelain making from a Korean, but at a time when even Koreans kept their special skills to themselves, how could he have divulged it? a potter like Goroshi, who had come to them to ask for their teachings, would not have lowered his reputation to do so, and although he would have obtained many hints, it should be seen as Goroshi’s own diligent study.
Minamikawa Raw materials for Hara porcelain
According to the records of the Sakaida family, the clay was taken from the following places: Iwayagawachi-tsuji (now owned by Hisatomi Shuntei), Iwayagawachi-dani (the same quality as the previous one, owned by Yamaro Jiro), Maidani (owned by Setoguchi Genkichi in Nakahoya-dani), Jinkoku (used in the production of Gotenboku, Odashi, Yumino, etc. in Nishikawato Village, Kushima County), and Imayama clay (used in the production of Imayama ware in Yokobaba, Kawakami Village, Saga County), etc. are recorded, and with the exception of the two locations mentioned above, they are all from the Izumiyama stone pit in Arita.
Iwaya Iwaya
Although it is unclear which clay was used to make the first pieces, it is clear that the aim was to imitate the porcelain being made in Arita using the materials from Izumiyama, so it is only natural that people would look for stones from the Izumiyama system that were being produced nearby. This Iwaya and other materials from the valley were probably being used at that time, with some of their outer surfaces exposed. In short, the early porcelain produced in Minamigawara was also made using the same materials as those from Izumiyama, and it is not known whether it was Gorosichi or the Korean in Tenjin no Mori who first tried using these materials.
At this time Kisamemon was 31 years old, and it was a time when he was greatly developing his rare talent for technique. From this point on, he and Gorosho worked together to devise new designs for porcelain, drawing on Chinese-style blue and white porcelain, or carving designs into celadon and white porcelain, and so on, as they researched ways to make the imported Chinese porcelain more Japanese. , after four years of living here, Gorosichi went to Uchinoyama in the Fujitsu district.
Kizaemon’s milk-white porcelain
From this Kizaemon added a new twist to the traditional white porcelain production process to create a type of cloudy-glazed porcelain (also called “milky-white porcelain”). The distinctive feature of Arita porcelain, which is also called Koimari, is that the glaze is very thick and the color has a slight bluish tinge, but the cloudy-glazed porcelain (which is called “nigori-te” in this region, and is made by using the water that is left over after washing rice) is the opposite, with a thin glaze that gives it a milky white appearance. ) is made by selecting the finest porcelain clay and glazing it once to produce a pure white finish.
The this material, the aforementioned Iwayagawa stone is used. This stone is similar to Amakusa stone in terms of its production method, and although it is extremely pure white, it is considered unsuitable as a raw material because it has a blackish tinge when selected.
Permission to use the raw materials from was granted permission to use the ore from the mountain.
After that, the kilns in Minamigawara also began to produce blue and white porcelain, and the skills of the Kisanzu family also made great progress. , the overglaze enameling method of the Manryaku red ware that was being imported from China via Nagasaki at the time could not be mastered.
China The Origin of Red Enameling
The method of decorating pottery was first developed in the Tang and Song dynasties, but at that time the only colors available were red and black. However, it was perfected in the Ming Dynasty, with the Yongle Five-Colored Glaze and the Xuan De Blue and White Glaze. In Japan, the Emperor Shomu had Tang-style polychrome paintings made at the Nara Court in the sixth year of the Tempyo era, but the secret of how to make them was not passed down.
Toshima Tokuemon
At the same time, Tokuemon, a powerful potter from Imari, learned the technique of red painting from a Ming Dynasty official living in Nagasaki, for the sum of ten pieces of silver. , and Kizaemon earnestly requested that he be taught the technique, so Tokuemon agreed to teach him. Kisuke began to work on the practical test, but the important red color was quite difficult to achieve. It is not difficult to imagine that this teaching was recorded in a few abstract chapters.
Completion of the red painting
After that Kisamemon devoted himself to his research, forgetting to eat and sleep, and as a result of his painstaking efforts, he succeeded in creating a brilliant red colored glaze, and it is no exaggeration to say that he founded the first red painting method in Japan. This took place in 1643, when Kisamemon was 48 years old.
The first the first time he mixed the five colors,
it is not certain what materials Kisamemon used to make the red glaze, but it is thought that he used green vitriol (iron sulfate) that had been lightly fired (if it is over-fired, it will turn black) and then washed in hot water. Next The blue is made by burning copper, the black is made by mixing large amounts of iron oxide and Kezhou (if the amount is small, it becomes purple), and the yellow is made by mixing the red glaze mentioned above in a light way. (In later years, tin oxide, lead oxide, antimony sulfide, etc. were used.)
The imported thin ink
In later generations, several dozen different colors were created, including ippenzoku (black lacquer glaze), chamoji (green glaze made by mixing yellow and green), and gunjo (sky blue glaze), but the thin ink glaze was used in the main kiln, and was also sent back from France by Eizakomon Fukagawa of the eighth generation , and at the time, in addition to Koransha, Shinsan’s Fukami Kokusuke (the head of the Soden family) and Iwayagawa’s Sumikazu (the father of Hiroshima Higher Normal School professor Sumikazu) were all using this type of coloring for tea utensils.
Gold and silver firing method
Kisamemon succeeded in making red porcelain, but there was also a gold and silver overglaze firing method that was still being used. He went to Nagasaki himself and visited the official in charge directly in order to obtain the secret, but it did not seem that he would be able to do so easily. Fortunately, he liked playing Go, so Kisuemon became his opponent for several days, and when they had finally become familiar with each other, he was finally able to learn the secret technique.
Goshu Gonbei
Thus, Kisamukemon experimented with the top of the mountain, but even after repeating the process several times, he was unable to obtain good results. There was a student of Takahara Goroshichi called Uda Gonbei. was once very good at judging the quality of Koshū shiruku, so everyone called him Gōshū Kōbei. He worked with Kisai Kōmon to devise this method, and they perfected it together.
Gold lacquer mixing
This method involves mixing pure gold powder with an adhesive such as Chinese clay (lead carbonate) or mercuric lead (bismuth), and then economically mixing in silver powder. Alternatively mercury sulfide (mercury sulfide) or other types of mercury are sometimes mixed in to give it a luster, but it has the drawback of wearing off quickly.
The beautiful is made by kneading gold powder imported from overseas with water, but as gold leaf for the gold-leafed lacquerware of old Imari, the luster of silver powder is also very elegant.
Use of gold leaf use
It appears that gold leaf was used for the Arita fine fittings of the Nagasaki trading period, and there are documents from the Tashiroya family that show this. It is probably far superior to the metallic paint of the modern era.
Gold leaf 6 monme 17 yen 90 sen
Right The gold leaf is placed in a dish with a little starch glue, and then either water or glass is poured in to dissolve the glue and the gold leaf. The gold leaf is then placed in the bowl-shaped container and the water is poured out, leaving only a little of the glue behind. The bowl is then used immediately for pottery.
Kakiemon changed his name to Kaki-e-mon
In the first year of the Shoho era (1645), Kisai Kikoumon produced a lid for a persimmon-shaped container, and after applying a red color to it, he presented it to Nabeshima Katsushige, the feudal lord of the domain. This work was highly praised for its exquisite taste and elegance, and it greatly enhanced Kisai’s reputation. Kisemon changed his name to Kakiemon, and this name has been passed down through the generations.
Kakiemon’s style of painting
Kakiemon also pioneered a style of painting that harmonized with the cloudy white porcelain, and there is a theory that he was aiming for the style of Feng Gang from the Ming Dynasty in China. is different from the Wanli red painting and the Wuzhou red painting of the time, and is a type of ware with a matte, opaque glaze, and fine, delicate lines of color applied in a subtle and elegant manner.
The Kakiemon style of overglaze decoration is neither Kano-style nor Tosa-style, and it is not an ancient pattern either. Instead, it is a style in which phoenixes and arabesque patterns are applied to cherry-blossom fences and the like, and the entire vessel is covered with patterns, just like his old Imari ware. The delicate composition and careful design formed a type of composition known as Kakiyaki-mon style, and this was praised worldwide at the time.
Praise from the Lord of Kaga
The first products of this red-painted porcelain were purchased by Ichirobei Iwanami, a retainer of the Lord of Kaga, and presented to the Lord of Kaga, Toshitsune Maeda, who was greatly impressed by them. There are even those who say that the praise of Akae at this time was the reason that Goto Saijiro was able to infiltrate Hizen in later years to investigate the production of porcelain and this coloring method.
Export of Kakiemon ware
It is said that the Kakiemon ware exported overseas for the first time in June of the third year of the Shoho era (1647) by the Chinese trader Hakkan in the Kōzen-machi area of Nagasaki was the beginning of the Arita ware trade. Hakkan was a man who had received a red seal for trade with China since the 19th year of the Keichō era (1614). Furthermore, if we look at the fact that the Dutch had already begun trading at Dejima in Nagasaki in 1641, we can assume that Kakiemon’s products were also being exported to European countries from before the Shoho era.
Chouemon Fujimoto
The products of Kakiemon were sold from the beginning of the Kanbun era (1661) by the Arita potter Chouemon Fujimoto. (Before that, it was often sold by Tokuemon Higashijima), and the secret of this red-glaze was first leaked to the nearby Arita potters, who then studied it assiduously, and it is said that the Akae-machi area was established in the early years of the Kanbun era. In Arita, there were those who devised it due to the teachings of the Ueda family of Amakusa, but that was many generations ago. It is said that the pigments and other materials used were purchased from the Chinese living in Nagasaki at the time.
Chinese stone and Chinese soil
The pigment-melting agent called “Hakuto” was called “Chinese stone” when it was imported from China. Also, the lead carbonate refined from minium was called “Chinese soil” (the white powder of the time). Around the Meiwa era, a certain Kurahashi from Wakatsu in Chikugo Province learned the manufacturing method from a Chinese person in Nagasaki, and began to manufacture it using glass powder produced in Sakaime in the same province, and selling it in the Arita region. This is a soft glass powder made from silica, saltpetre and lead.
Hinooka
This is a mixture of 70% Chinese stone and 30% Chinese soil, and is used as a flux for red pigments. For some types of pigments, Hinooka is sometimes added at a rate of around 5%, to prevent the glaze from cracking during the firing process. The stone from this area was pure silica from the Higashiyama area of Kyoto. The materials of this period were particularly high quality, and in particular, the Karaseki stone was of extremely high quality, and it is said that this is why the splendid red glaze was produced.
Arita’s red painters
From this, Arita produced gold brocade makers (also known as red brocade makers or brocade makers), who each continued to research the methods and mixing of their pigments, and on the other hand, the development of old Imari brocade also progressed, and later, red glaze makers who surpassed the head of the family emerged. Even if the materials were to be sought elsewhere, it goes without saying that the structure of the red-glazed kilns and the firing methods would of course be in accordance with the techniques of the Kakiemon school.
Kakiemon Ware in China
The pottery techniques of the Kakiemon school had reached a state of maturity. The pottery industry, which until then had been engaged in passive production by Koreans, has now made great strides, and Kakiemon’s works, which have succeeded in producing white porcelain that was considered impossible at the time and have also been decorated with outstanding red designs, are considered representative of world pottery, and both blue and red designs were considered to be of a high standard, and in France, they were even considered to be better than the red paintings of the Ming Dynasty in China, and at the time, Kakiemon products were called the best in the world.
European Pottery and Kakiemon
Of course, at that time, European culture was still in a chaotic period when viewed from today’s perspective of science, and the paths of pottery in the East and West differed. They were exclusively engaged in the production of glassware and low-fired pottery such as chinaware , and they were only able to produce pottery with a low firing temperature in the area around Florence in Italy, but at no time were they able to produce porcelain in any other part of the world.
At this time at that time, it is easy to imagine how much the Kakiemon products, with their pure white base and elegant designs, were admired by Europeans. Thus, the focus of their tastes was centered on Kakiemon ware, and they competed to buy it. even Kakiemon, with its factory organization at the time, would have found it difficult to meet the huge demand. It is not difficult to imagine that the Chinese, who are quick to make a profit, would have produced imitations of Kakiemon in their own country and exported them to Europe.
European imitations of Kakiemon
in Holland in Delft, they tried to make copies of Kakiemon-style ceramics, and they also copied Meissen in Austria, as well as Worcester and Bow in England (both of which are pottery-producing areas). Next, the gardens in France, Germany and Italy also tried their best to follow suit. all of them were merely imitating porcelain, and in later years, when Germany succeeded in producing porcelain for the first time, other countries also began to follow suit. Naturally, the early products were all imitations of Kakiemon.
As such was greeted with such wonder even in Europe, it was only natural that in Japan, too, the secret of this red-handled ware, along with the Arita ware-making method, would be the focus of attention for potters all over the country. , there were many people who disguised themselves to try to find out the secret of this method, and even the Nabeshima clan issued a decree to control this and to be on high alert.
The story of Haku Story
In the Meireki era (1655-1658), there was a teacup maker called Chawan-ya Kyubei who had a shop called Tsuboya in Sanjyo-Kawaramachi, Kyoto. He was a man who had fallen into poverty after being seduced by the charms of a prostitute from Shimabara called Matsuyama, who had squandered his family fortune and was now reduced to a state where he was no longer even recognizable. Matsuyama was worried about how to help Kihei get back on his feet, and was at a loss as to what to do when, fortunately, his father, Aoyama Kihei, came to the capital from his hometown of Arita in Hizen.
At Kihei, who had already learned of the secret of Arita-sekie, begged his father Matsuyama to teach him this secret, and Kihei in turn taught it to the potter Seibei, and so the art of Arita-sekie spread to Kyoto. the secret of the transfer was revealed, and Kōbei committed suicide for fear of being accused of leaking the secret. Hearing this, Kyūbei suddenly became mentally confused and went mad, and it is said that he died of illness at the age of 50. This is the plot of the story of the Hōkoku ware bowl.
It is not clear to what extent this romance is based on fact, but It is not clear how much of this story is true, but at the time, even glass was highly valued as a rare and precious material, and there were even cases of people committing ritual suicide to take responsibility for losing a plate that had been brought over from Holland. , it is something that should be seen as quite understandable as a result of breaching the strict controls of the Nabeshima clan and leaking the secret formula.
Ninsei ‘s red painting
potter Seibei was a famous potter named Nonomura Ninsei (Harima Otsu) who created original designs in the pure Japanese style. He was originally called Seibei the Tea Bowl Maker, and he and Kobo were close friends, so it is difficult to say to what extent Kobo’s red painting technique was passed on It is difficult to say to what extent the technique was passed on, but it was the rare master Narihira who first succeeded in skillfully applying it to the Kyoto-yaki pottery of the time, making it as dazzling as a jewel. At that time the potters of Arita must have been astonished to see the secret of red painting leaking out to Kyoto and to see the skillful designs on the pottery.
Kakiemon Emon passes away
The first Kakiemon passed away on June 19th, 1666, at the age of 71. He was born on September 25th, 1596. His grave is in the Sakaida family graveyard on the side of the road in Shimominamigawara. The second Kakiemon II died in 1661 at the age of 42, five years before the first Kakiemon, and his son, who had no heir, succeeded to the name and title of Kakiemon III, dying in 1672 at the age of 51.
These two generations were both said to be as skilled as their father, the first generation, and it is said that this was a period of considerable progress in terms of the products they produced. The third Kakiemon was also granted an audience with the lord of the clan, Nabeshima Mitsushige, in November of the second year of the Jōkyō era (1685), as is known from the letter of introduction in the Sakaita family records sent to the clan.
A letter sent from the third generation Kakiemon to the clan
Omitted A man named Tokuemon Higashijima, who is currently living in Imari, learned the art of making red and white porcelain from a Chinese person (this Chinese person means a Chinese person) in Nagasaki, and then returned home after learning the art and receiving 10 pieces of silver and 10 pieces of silver (the time period is unknown). During this time, Kakiyemon Tokuemon was living in the old kiln in Minamigawara (the old kiln mentioned above) and was learning the art of making red and white porcelain from a Chinese person in Nagasaki. ) and was learning from a man called Tokuemon. He was learning from a Chinese person in Nagasaki, and was learning how to make red-painted ceramics. (The details of this are unknown.) As we have been told that we can make a living by doing this, we will continue to make red-painted ceramics. However, we have not been able to make them properly, and we have lost a lot of money.
One After that, I did not have any ideas about what to do, and I burned it. In the third year of the Shouho era, when I went to the port of Nagasaki on a ship, I met a Chinese person called Hachikwan who was staying in the Kosen-machi (Kouzen-machi) area. sold to a person named Ichirobei Hanawa, who was in the service of Kaga Chikuzen no Kami (Maeda Toshitsune), and after that, I sold it to various people.
One red regarding the gold and silver inlay on the pictures, the parent Kakiemon was instructed to make them, and when the Tanshu-sama (Mitsushige Nabeshima) first entered the domain and stayed there, he took them from Tomikurobei and presented them to him, along with a bowl with a design of Mount Fuji in brocade, and they were presented to him.
The above The year mentioned above, 1645, is thought to be the year when two Portuguese ships arrived in Nagasaki on June 24th of the fourth year of the Shoho era. The word “galian” refers to a type of ship, and the word “galian almaata” means “galleon fleet” in English.
Sakai The lineage of the Sakaida family is as follows.
Sakaida Ensei – died on June 24th, 1627 at the age of 78
Kakiemon I – died on June 19th, 1666 at the age of 71
Kakiemon II – died on July 27th, 1661 at the age of 42
Kakiemon Kakiemon III died on October 14th, 1672 at the age of 51
Kakiemon IV died on August 15th, 1679 at the age of 39
Kakiemon V died on July 3rd, 1691 at the age of 32
Shibuemon died during the Kyoho era
Kakiemon VI died on May 3rd, 1745 at the age of 46
Kakiemon Kakiemon VII died on February 26th, 1772 at the age of 54
Kakiemon VIII died on March 10th, 1781 at the age of 48
Jiemon IX assisted the 10th generation
Kakiemon IX died on January 2nd, 1836 at the age of 61
Kakiemon X died on March 10th, 1860 at the age of 56
Kakiemon Kakiemon, 11th generation Shibunosuke, died on February 8th, 1917 at the age of 78
Kakiemon, 13th generation Shigeji, born on September 9th, 1878
Shibuo, born on September 20th, 1906
Appointed to the position of distinguished potter for the clan
Nabeshima Even when the Nabeshima clan’s pottery workshop was located in Iwayagawachi, Arita, the clan would occasionally order products from the outstanding potters working in the Minamigawara kilns, and at that time there were many excellent potters in Minamigawara, including Kakiemon, Tokunaga Tsunemitsu, and Nakano Tokubei. from the end of the Kanbun era, when the craftsmen moved to Minamikawara, there were many orders for Kakiemon, and in particular, it is certain that the red-threaded kimono were the exclusive domain of Kakiemon.
Sakai Sakai
In the third year of En, the craftsmen of Minamigawara were moved to Okawachiyama, and naturally the orders from the clan to the Kakiemon family became less frequent. there was a particularly important reason. It seems that there is no way that even the most famous family can continue to produce master craftsmen from generation to generation, and by the fourth or fifth generation, the Kakiemon family’s skills had deteriorated considerably, so the clan decided to discontinue the production of red-painted porcelain in Okawachi, as they had done before, and, as they did not recognize the fifth Kakiemon as being qualified to maintain his father’s name, on November 8th, 1685 (the second year of the Jōkyō era), at the age of 26, the fifth Kakiemon was finally ordered to stop making pottery for the clan.
Kakiemon from before (unknown) when the pottery was ordered for the lord’s use, one person was ordered to make it for several years (unknown), and it was especially ordered that the red brocade-patterned Kintsuke ware be made for the first time, but because there was no end to the confusion, the order was finally cancelled. This is what Lord Nakano Shogen ordered.
The above
November 8th, 1682, Oishi Gunpei
The petition below, which is recorded in the Sakaida family records, was sent to the Nabeshima clan by Kakiuemon at the time.
One section of the text reads
- Kaki Uemon to Minamigawara, I have not been able to make the goods ordered by the various lords, but I have been able to make the red-painted goods, the kama-yaki and other things that are popular in this world (meaning that I have been able to make them all at once?). As for the lion-shaped goods (the bottom of the Tamatori lion?), I will do it according to the example of a certain person
When one When the Kakiemon family (the retired master) handed over the house to someone else, the world was in a state of great difficulty (i.e. the economy was in a slump), and the family was in great difficulty. The skilled craftsmen (unknown) had already mixed together and stopped working for a while, but now the pottery is doing well. At this time, we have heard that the Kakiyemon family in Edo and the Kamigata region are well known for their skill, and we are now considering whether or not to resume production. We would like to respectfully request that you allow us to continue our production as usual, and that you allow us to continue to use the red cloth as in previous years. We would like to respectfully request that you allow us to continue our production as usual, and that you allow us to continue to use the red cloth as in previous years.
Sakai Restoration of the Tan Clan’s kilns
The Kakiemon kilns, which had previously received more official orders than any other kiln, were unable to withstand the threat to their livelihood caused by the suspension of these orders, and in 1723 (the 8th year of the Kyoho era) they submitted a passionate request to be allowed to resume begged for another order, and as it was impossible to completely abandon the relationship with the clan, it was decided that in addition to the regular number of pieces produced at the clan kiln, a portion of the extra orders would be allocated to Kakiemon.
The master potter Shibuemon
From this the fifth generation Kakiemon died at the age of 32 in 1691, and four years after his death, the sixth generation Kakiemon, who was only five years old, succeeded him. He became the guardian of his uncle Shibukemon, but he was afraid that the family name of the head family would be discontinued, so he worked extremely hard to protect the sixth generation. was not only a master of the art of making Hachi-bachi (bowl with a wide brim and a narrow base), but was also a master craftsman of design and pattern, and the excellent works of the Genroku era (1688-1704) are said to be the work of Kakiemon.
The 8th Generation The first appearance of Hachiyo Kakiemon’s work
On September 3rd, 1774, Hachiyo Kakiemon was granted an audience with the feudal lord Nabeshima Harushige. At that time, it was a great honor for a potter to be granted an audience with a feudal lord, and it is needless to say that it was a great honor for Hachiyo Kakiemon.
Commendation for the first generation Kakiemon was awarded a prize
In June 1885, when there was a competition for cocoons, textiles and ceramics in Ueno, Tokyo, the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce at the time, Saigo Jundo, awarded the first Kakiemon a prize of 300 yen in recognition of his achievements. At the end of the Meiji era In the final years of the Meiji era, a group of people from Nishimatsuura County in Fukuoka Prefecture who were living in Tokyo, including Shigeru Kawahara (a member of the House of Representatives), Hirokichi Matsuo (a member of the House of Peers), Kenzo Matsuo (a former member of the House of Representatives and a director of a business bank), Raita Fujiyama (the head of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry), and Taichiro Morinaga (the president of Morinaga Confectionery Co., Ltd.), supported and promoted the 11th Kakiemon. Raita Fujiyama (Chairman of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry), Taichiro Morinaga (President of Morinaga Confectionery Co., Ltd.), and others supported and promoted the 11th Kakiemon.
The mark of the Dutch The mark of the Dutch East India Company
The first Kakiemon took the initials of the Vereengde Oost-Indische Compagnie (United East India Company, which was dissolved in 1803)
and made them into a patterned mark. The product with the inscription “Imari Oukyukakimon” is said to be highly prized in Europe.
However the 2 shaku 2 sun rimmed bowl owned by Professor Chozo Muto of Nagasaki Commercial School is in the old Chinese Sometsuke style, with a hexagonal pattern on the rim, and a pomegranate and long-tailed bird painted on the bottom, and in the circle in the center, about 2 shaku 5 sun in diameter, there is a pattern of Roman letters, but one letter is missing. this is probably the correct way of writing it, and as a four-character word, it is also quite difficult to stylize.
Many of the items ordered by the lords of the domain and other special products made by Kakiemon are unmarked, and those that do have a square-shaped mark are usually referred to as regular products.
Items that imitate the There are also some very fine works that are inscribed with phrases such as “Made in the year of Daimei-Seika” or “A treasure of the Kigyokuho-tei” and so on, and it is not known how many generations of potters made them.
Fukuji inscription
The Kakufuku inscription (see separate sheet), which was used exclusively by the Kakiemon kiln until recent years, is originally a Chinese antique porcelain inscription, and, like Shourui, Fukuju is used as a lucky character. Ming pottery , and the “Wusu Fukugaku” dish has the character “fu” written in large letters in the center of the dish, while some red-glazed pieces have a mythical beast carrying the character “fu” on its back. As for reverse inscriptions, as shown on the separate sheet, they were also widely used in Japan. such as Fukushima Sukegoro of Kuromuta, are said to have used the Kakufuku mark exclusively.
There are differing theories as to when the Kakiemon family first began using the Kakufuku mark, with some saying it was around the 9th generation. , if we look at the products of the Matsugaya pottery in Ogi that can be seen as products from the Genroku period, and the masterpieces with the Kakiemon signature, it can be proven that the Kakiemon of the 5th or 6th generation was invited by the lord of the Ogi domain.
Looking back As mentioned above, during the time of the 5th Kakiemon, there was a temporary suspension of orders from the feudal lord, and so it is likely that he traveled to Matsugaya for business reasons due to the family finances Although the origins of Matsugaya ware date back to the Kan’ei era, it appears that the potters of Minamigawara were invited to work at the kilns from the time they were first opened. Kakiemon only used this signature on his own works. It goes without saying that Kakiemon used this signature in Matsugaya, as with other kilns in and outside Arita, simply to imitate Chinese-style ceramics.
Kakufuku Infringement of the Kakufuku mark
However, in 1885, the 11th generation Kakiemon received a patent for the Kakufuku mark as his own trademark, and since then, those who have used this same mark (the first one on the attached sheet) have been subject to seizure, causing fear and trepidation among those in the industry who have used this mark in the past. In particular Imaizumi Tota of Arita Sekie-machi has been using this mark without reflection, and when the Kakiemon family negotiated with him, Tota said that the Fukutaro mark had come from China and had been used in Arita and other places, as well as in Kutani and Kyoto, and had been used on mountains all over the country since ancient times.
However to this day, the sudden Kakiemon family has not responded to this without reason for monopoly, and finally it became a lawsuit, and there was a mood to support the refutation from Tokyo and other areas, but the theory is a rabbit be that as it may, in later years, as Kakiuemon had already registered his patent, there were claims that it was being infringed, and arbitration was called for. Some of the legal fees were provided by Tota, and the matter was finally settled around 1907.
Kakiue Emon’s family monument
There is a memorial stone for the first Kakiemon in the Sakaita family compound, and the following inscription can be found on it.
Sakaita Kakiemon Sakaida’s epitaph
The endless circle of life is endless, and those who are born poor and die rich are those I see in Kakiemon Sakaida. Hizen pottery was first made in the Koshu area in the Tensho era, and the foundation of the pottery was laid in the Minamigawara area of the Magari River village in Hizen Province. In the third year of the Genwa era In the third year of Genna, Kakiemon received the Nanking ware technique from the retainer of the lord of Hiro, Takahara Goroshichi, and, after investigating the fragility of pottery and its inadequacy for everyday use, discovered that the source of porcelain in Japan was the Arita Izumi mountain. the industry of porcelain making expanded greatly. In the third year of the Shouho era, he devoted himself to the creation of porcelain with brocade-like designs, and after much mental anguish, he finally succeeded in inventing it. is a feat that has been praised by people throughout the world. I was surprised by the delicacy and beauty of the porcelain, and bought some to take home. the beginning of foreign trade. In the 11th year of the Meiji era, Shibusawa opened up the local transportation and trade laws, and promoted the development of industry and commerce. In the 18th year of Meiji, at the Ueno Silk, Textile, and Ceramic Exhibition in Tokyo, he was awarded 30 yen in recognition of his services. The endless pursuit of perfection is a never-ending circle. Kakiemon’s painstaking efforts and deep contemplation have resulted in brilliance that will shine for hundreds of years. I, Shinosuke, am moved to tears by his memory and cannot help but throw away the prize money to build a monument that will last forever.
Meiji April 19th year of Meiji, written by Fukuchi Genroku of Tansui
Shinosuke, the 11th generation grandson of the Sakaida family, built it
In the text above, the Goshū ware is like the decorated porcelain decorated with Gousu underglaze, and it is doubtful whether it was produced in Minamikawara from the Tenshō era, and then in the third year of Genna (1617), 617), Kakiemon was taught the porcelain-making process by Gorosichi, which was about ten years earlier than the conventional history, so he was an immature young man of 22 years old. In particular, the story that Kakiemon discovered the Izuyama porcelain and created Japanese porcelain is too far-fetched. the monument was probably made by some government official in later years, who was so full of praise for the virtues of the first Kakiemon that he made it up, but it was not a good thing for the many people who had contributed to the construction of the monument to Ri Sanpei, and it was a wise decision for the modern Kakiemon to have it removed.
Kakiemon Appearance in a Kakiemon play
Around the beginning of the Taisho era, the famous actor Kataoka Nizaemon (the 11th generation Matsushima-ya) appeared in a Kakiemon play written by Takeshiba Kotoji at the Meijiza Theater, and received a great ovation. At this time volunteers from Nishimatsuura County who were living in Tokyo, including Fujiyama Raita, Morinaga Taichiro, Matsuo Kenzo, and Matsuo Koukichi, came together to discuss the presentation of a curtain call, and Aoki Tokuichiro (a Bank of Japan employee from Saga City) (from Oyama Village, Nishimatsuura County) took charge of the arrangements, and presented a beautiful curtain with a large vase design, which was the idea of Kodo Nizaemon (an artist from Saga City), to Nizaemon.
After that Nisakomon appeared in the Imperial Theater in the Kakiemon play, and it is said that Kakiemon greatly contributed to the publicity of Nisakomon when he came to Tokyo to sell his products at this time.
Kakiemon Company
April 1925 In April 1925, Fukuoka Prefecture native Obata Hideyoshi provided funding to the 12th Kakiemon and established the Kakiemon Yoko Kaisha with 25,000 yen, building a Western-style factory on the side of the mountain and operating it in cooperation with the factory at the Minamikawa Hara residence. that year, he was troubled by the Kakiemon theatrical troupe of Nizaemon in Kyoto, and he worked hard to promote it, and Hideyoshi presented a silk curtain to Nizaemon (Nizaemon died on October 16th, 1934 at the age of 78).
Wedding Wedding gift
On June 5th 1924, as a wedding gift for the Crown Prince, a tall, foot-long, lacquered container for sweets, made by Kakiemon, was presented by Saga Prefecture.
Accession to the throne Imperial Accession Celebration Gift
In October 1928, a large white Kirin ornament made by Kakiemon was presented to the Emperor as a gift to celebrate his enthronement. The ornament was 1 shaku 6 sun in height and was made by Jotaro Ninomiya.
Separation of the Kakiemon Separation of the Kakiyemon Company
In December 1928, Kakiyemon applied to withdraw from the joint-stock company Sen-tai, and separated from Hideyoshi Obata, with the support of Major General Shoichi Hotta of the Imperial Japanese Army. the trademark of the square width that has been used until now has legally transferred to the ownership of the company, and from now on Kakiemon will only be manufactured at the factory in his own residence, and the name of the current Kakiemon work is used.
Kakiemon Emon’s old products
The products of Kakiemon, from the first generation to the third, and also the works of the sixth generation, such as those of Kakiemon’s guardian, Shuemon, are said to be of excellent quality. It is unclear which of these works are the current remaining products, and there is no other way to judge them than by their style and feel. Products include a red-painted 8-sun plate with five ships, a 8-sun octagonal bowl with a design of a long-tailed bird on a rock plum, a 3-sun plate with a design of a plum and bellflower, a 7-sun deep bowl with a design of a tiger on bamboo, a 8-sun bowl with a design of a long-tailed bird and bellflower, a 8-sun bowl with a design of a rock plum and phoenix, and a 8-sun bowl with a design of a rock plum and phoenix in relief (rust flower). There is also a bowl with a long-tailed bird and a kikyo border, a bowl with a carved design of a phoenix and a kikyo border, and a bowl with a carved design of a dragon and a kikyo border.
There is also a bowl with a red glaze and a carved design of a kikyo flower with a green border. has a red-glazed round-patterned iris design with a green border, and there is a six-centimeter square dish with a corner-cut rim that is filled with a nine-patterned dragon design, with a simple design of dead trees and waterfowl on the outside, or there is a water jar with a brocade octagonal handle 5 cm in diameter, a celadon hexagonal plate with a plum and phoenix design with a red border, and a three-legged 7 cm tall candy dish with a blue wave design and a blue-and-white ancient hawk design. In addition there is a long rectangular dish with a cloud and dragon design, a square-shaped brazier with a nandina design, and a hexagonal brazier with a split-inner true landscape design and a beautiful piece of Wuzhou-style design with a cat on a deer background.
If we were to summarize the designs on these pieces can be summarized as follows: there are many flowers and plants, including plums and chrysanthemums, and there are also overlapping images of bamboo, palm trees, maples, oaks, pine trees, cherry blossoms, etc. Among the animals, there are long-tailed birds, dragons, phoenixes, deer, tigers, eagles, and landscapes with people. Among these, the skillful use of shibagaki in the designs of the red and blue porcelain of the Wu Zhou and Sekiegu regions shows the commonality of the designs of the Nabeshima and Sekiegu wares, and there are also designs that have been skillfully Japanese-ized from the glassware, pottery and chintz patterns of the Netherlands, with which the region had a flourishing trading relationship.
Minamikawa The famous pottery of Minamigawara
It is known from the pottery that has been produced in Minamigawara since ancient times that there were many famous potters, but as with Arita, it is rare for the pottery to be marked with the name of the potter who made it, so it is impossible to know who made the pottery. However there is a tendency to assume that many of these unmarked masterpieces were made by Kakiemon.
Nakano Tokubei
There was a master potter called Nakano Tokubei who made wares for the lords of the domain at the time, and his excellent works, such as his blue and white bowls, have been preserved. He was a contemporary of the first Kakiemon, and died on July 21st, 1661. His grave is in the Shimominamigawara public cemetery, and his descendant, Nakano Kyuichi, lives in Arita Shirakawa-machi.
Tokunaga Tokunaga
Tokunaga Tokunaga was a samurai from the former Takeo domain, but he moved to this area from the previous generation and made porcelain, and as an outstanding potter, he made many wares for the lords of the domain and fired them in large kilns. one day, when he had finally finished loading the kiln with the items he had been ordered to make for the clan, he discovered that someone had secretly sprinkled sand all over the kiln, and when the items were fired, they were all ruined. He was so enraged that he ended his life by committing ritual suicide. was October 24th, 1672.
Toko’s monument
There is a magnificent monument to him in the Shimominamigawara public cemetery, in the shape of a pagoda with a base of about 1 ken square, and the sponsor is listed as Doi Genzaemon. This incident is thought to be the work of someone in the same trade who was jealous of him, and there are some who say that it may be related to Kakiemon, but the second Kakiemon died six years earlier, and the third Kakiemon died on October 14th of the same year, that is, ten days before Joko committed suicide.
Higuchi Toshisaburo
Higuchi Toshisaburo of Kaminagawara was a famous potter of later generations. As mentioned above, many fine works have been excavated from the Higuchi kiln in recent years. was a man of great courage and resourcefulness, and was once a powerful figure in the region. At that time, a dispute arose between the Uchiyama (Arita) and Sotoyama (Arita Sotoyama) kilns over the distribution of the Arita Izumi-yama porcelain, and in the end, the Uchiyama kilns showed their determination to not allow even a single piece of Izumi-yama stone to be taken out of the Uchiyama kilns. The people of the Goyama kilns banded together to protest strongly, and Kajiwara Chuzo and Korisaburo of Kuromuta were chosen to represent them in the negotiations.
Chuzo’s argument
Chuzo was a little educated and a very eloquent man, as he was the official potter for the Kunisaki domain in Bungo. He asked to be interviewed by the Sarayama magistrate, and when he criticized the injustice of the Uchiyama side, his argument was so well-reasoned and so eloquent that there was no end to it. The magistrate scolded him, saying, “You talk too much. If you don’t stop, I’ll cut you down with a single stroke,” and threatened him. Tadao was not the least bit intimidated, and immediately held out his own head. There is an episode from that time.
Risaburo’s Magnet Haul
At this time, Risaburo suddenly hired several dozen oxen and, taking charge of them himself, arrived at the Izumiyama stone pit, where he dug up the magnet ore and hauled it back to town in a single bound. It is said that even the quick-tempered Arita people were so taken aback by his speed and agility that they lost their composure and praised him for his bravery.
Funadokidani Fudashi
When Riso applied for permission to cut down trees in the local forest to use as firewood for pottery, he first gave a number of his own pottery to the officials in charge, and then submitted his application for permission to cut down trees. According to this, the local area of Funadokidani was granted permission, as the officials understood that it was a narrow valley, as the name suggests.
However, Risaburo, for some reason, called the whole of Minamigawara Valley Funabashidani and cleared it all. The officials in charge of the mountain were also surprised that he had tricked them, but they pretended not to be surprised and imposed a heavy tax on the forest land . There is an episode that says that Risaburo understood this and paid a high price for the pottery he had given him earlier, and that he paid the remaining small amount of tax by offsetting it against the total amount.
Higuchi Taemon
Risaburo passed away on July 19th, 1844, and his son, Takejiro, took over the business. The son of Taisaburo’s younger brother Denzaburo was named Taiemon, and he later changed his name to Taiei. He died on December 25th, 1894 at the age of 85, and his eldest son Taikichi was a talented potter, but he died before his father, and the second son Sanzao was a potter.
Tatebayashi Hyota
Before the Meiji Restoration, the kiln was run by Tatebayashi Hyokichi (Morinosuke’s grandfather) of Shimonamagawara, who was very active in production. He passed away on April 6th, 1839. Another famous potter from the same Shimominamigawara area was Tatebayashi Heitayu. He was a strange man who, as soon as he took a finished piece out of the kiln, would immediately hide it in a chest and lock it away, never showing it to anyone. He was probably afraid that people would copy the designs he had come up with. Heitayu passed away on December 26th, 1837.
Tatsujyu Tatebayashi
Heitayu’s son-in-law, Tatsujyu, adopted the second son of Kiheiji Tsuji, who was in charge of the imperial court’s pottery in Arita, and he too was a very famous potter. In addition, Tatebayashi Kikujiro (Kitaro’s father) was also a skilled potter. He passed away on March 11th, 1851 at the age of 43. Generally, Kaminamagawara was good at making large bowls, while Shimonamagawara was good at making small items such as tableware.
The master of Shimonamagawara
In addition, the masters of Shimonamagawara were
Moritaro Tatebayashi, who died on January 27th, 1850 at the age of 28. He was a master of flower and bird paintings.
Kumagoro Kanae died on November 23, 1855 at the age of 49. He was a master of landscapes and rice fields in pottery.
Kankuro Tominaga died on August 28, 1874 at the age of 39. He was a painter who excelled at flowers and birds.
Konishi Kita, died on August 9th, 1876 at the age of 43. He was a painter who excelled at landscapes and portraits.
Mizokami Kuro, died on January 20th, 1887 at the age of 54. He was a craftsman who excelled at portraits and flowers and birds.
Kanagae Yaokichi, died on July 17th, 1892 at the age of 58. He was a potter who excelled at making small articles.
Koto Iyokichi, died July 16th, 1900, aged 73. A potter who was a master of small articles, he was a Kakiuemon potter, but later became a kiln-maker.
Shinsuke Fuji
Shinsuke Fuji (died September 30th, 1889, aged 63) was a modern kiln-maker in the Shimominamigawara area.
The Minamigawara of Today
The Minamigawara pottery mountain, along with Kuromuta and Komizo, has a long history as the birthplace of Arita ware (in terms of pottery), and although pottery production was once very prosperous, it declined, and even during the boom period of 1920, the annual production value was only 55,000 yen. The number of households has also decreased, and there is not a single pottery in the 20 households of Kaminamagawara. Of the 40 houses in Shimonamagawara, the only two houses still using kilns are the Kakiemon and Konishi Tadao houses, and the prosperity of the past has vanished like a dream, leaving only the old man’s monument at Tenjinsha Shrine, where the fragrance of the blossoming Japanese apricot trees drifts through the air, reminding us of the town’s former glory. In addition to the above, there are the Maruyama and Kusaba factories in Minamikawara, and the Busan kiln of Nakazato-na, which came from Mikawachi, is located on the collapsed bridge.
With the above, we have finished with Minamigawara and the surrounding area, and we should now move on to the article on the valley of the kilns in the same village, but as this is related to the origins of the Kihara kilns, we have already omitted it in the Hirado edition, so we will omit it here. In 1914, Jinichi Umeno (Chikurin) built a kiln here and produced tableware, vases, tea utensils, etc., some of which were decorated in the Kakiemon style with red designs, and were very impressive.
Toshaku Kiln
If you climb up the valley of Kaminamigawara, you will reach the highlands of Toshaku, which is part of Arita Village. There are three old kiln sites in this area: Mukaihira, Ippommatsu and Zendani. On the hill of Mukaihira, there is a cultivated field called Iwayoshihata, where there are remains of pottery being fired, but later on, porcelain was fired using Arita’s raw materials. This pottery and porcelain production was distributed to Ippommatsu and Zendanya, and on the other hand, it also spread to the Muraki kiln in the Omura domain.
Mukaidaira of Toshaku
The old pottery of Mukaidaira, which is thought to be a branch of the Minamikawara Korean people, includes grey-glazed bowls with unglazed bottoms and rims, as well as unglazed bowls with a completely unglazed foot ring. There are also plates with the same glaze, some of which are decorated with white glaze patterns, others with brush-stroke patterns, and others with a chestnut-colored glaze and white DORAKU patterns, with sunken carving on the inside, and fragments that look like water basins.
There are also many types of porcelain ware, such as a six-centimeter shallow bowl with a design of Chinese landscape in underglaze blue, a seven-centimeter bowl with a design of a floral pattern on a plain white background, a tea bowl with a design of a real orchid, and a small dish with a design of pine leaves and chrysanthemums. There are also many types of porcelain ware, such as a thin blue-green round tea bowl.
Single pine tree
The patterns on the old kiln ware of the single pine tree are all rather crude, including the nine-sided plate with a landscape design in underglaze blue, the deep, wide-based plate with a design of chrysanthemum stems inside lines, the small plate with a design of chrysanthemum stems inside lines in a greenish-blue color, the small plate with a design of peonies in underglaze blue inside lines, the round tea bowl with a design of pine trees in prose, and the medium-sized plate with a design of a thin blue background and a raised bottom. The tea bowls with a pattern of moxa-like grass, for example, seem to be a special product of a later period, and the workmanship and pattern are different from the aforementioned products.
Zendani
The remains of the Zendani kiln can be found on the hill of small pine trees across the river from here. The shards of porcelain include large plates with a large brushstroke cat pattern in underglaze blue, and large plates with a maple leaf design inside the wide foot, as well as small plates with a three-way flower pattern inside the wide foot. All of these are poor quality, with very little decoration, and the foot ring is very small. The designs are also poor, just like the pine tree design. There are 40 pottery factories in this area, including the Yoshijima and two other factories.
When we consider Minamikawara ware, the changing times dominating the local industry is a phenomenon that cannot be avoided in any pottery town, but when we look back on it as the birthplace of the Kakiemon school, which has gained a world-famous reputation, we cannot help but feel a great sense of regret at its decline. And the descendants of this famous family and the many people who admire the deceased are only concerned with imitating the deceased’s creations, and are preoccupied with doing nothing but that.
On the subject of imitating period pieces
However, it is impossible for modern craftsmen to accurately reproduce works from two or three hundred years ago without being a master craftsman. No matter how skillfully they may be imitated, when they are examined under the scrutiny of a specialist, they will ultimately be exposed as fakes, and it will be clear that they are from the Kan’ei era, the Genroku era, the Tempo era, or the Meiji era.
The spirit of the master craftsmen
It is said that even if they were able to skillfully imitate the coloring and workmanship, the sense of taste that comes from the materials and the spirit of the master craftsmen of the time would not easily be apparent. In this respect, it is necessary to consider the influence of the atmosphere of the period in which the vessel was made.
To ask a modern person born in the Showa era to produce something in the style of the Kan’ei or Genroku periods would be like forcing your own children to share the souls of their ancestors. Even if they look similar, it would be impossible to completely transfer their characteristics. Even between parents and children, or between siblings born of the same mother, there are many cases where not only the disposition differs, but also the appearance and physique are completely different.
The Principle of Creation
The god of creation never created two things that were exactly the same, and if human beings were born exactly alike, there would be a great deal of confusion between one’s own children and those of others, and between one’s own wife and those of others. Therefore, it seems that they are created to a similar degree, but not exactly the same. Although progress is said to be eternal and infinite (or perhaps even infinite), the existence of two identical things is an expression of non-progress that halts that infinity, and the fact that identical things do not arise is the principle of progress and also the truth of production.
Anachronism
However, even if we try to make the same product in later generations, the result will be an incongruous balance, like putting an old helmet on a modern person’s close-cropped head. When you look at the modern-style additions to his old-fashioned brocade porcelain, it’s as if a person in a period costume is seen to be smoking a cigarette, and you can’t help but feel that it’s a little anachronistic.
Ultra Kakiemon Style
In short, we should respect the excellent designs of our predecessors and apply them to our work, but if it is impossible to grasp the creative conceptual form, it is wise for newcomers to first discover themselves and individuality, it is a wise strategy to create new ideas, and I hope that the results of this study will lead to the creation of a new ultra-Kakiemon style.
