A vessel made of clay or stone powder, either singly or in mixture, and fired by fire. The surface is often covered with a thin coat of beryllium to prevent water or other liquids from penetrating, or for decorative purposes. The essence of the glaze is called the “base,” and the thin skin is called the glaze (glaze, glaze, or soup). All ceramics made in Japan in the early period were unglazed, and were called jar, biraga, tegaki, etc. They were collectively called suemono. The name “suemono” was probably derived from the meaning of “to put various things in and set them on the table. Later, with the introduction of Chinese characters, the character for “pottery” was used. The word “pottery” was originally written in Chinese as “陶” meaning “kiln,” and “陶器” meaning “kiln-fired ware,” and was used to refer to all pottery in general, with the more solid types being called 瓷器, which later became porcelain. In China, the word “china” is still used today as a generic term for pottery. In Japan, the word “pottery” used to be used as a generic term for ceramics, and even today there are many cases where it is used in this sense, such as pottery dealers and certain pottery companies. Recently, however, the word “pottery” has come to be used in a narrower sense to refer only to certain types of pottery. For example, pottery is classified into porcelain, ceramics, stoneware, and earthenware. Because of these classifications, the word “pottery” has two meanings, one narrow and the other broad, and it has become difficult to determine which meaning is meant when simply referring to pottery. To clarify this point, the term “ceramics” is most commonly used today as a generic term for pottery. Ceramics can be white or colored, and can have a rough base that allows water to permeate through it or a firm base that does not.
They are both impervious to almost all chemicals except hydrofluoric acid, and they are poor conductors of electricity. The chemical composition of the base material consists mainly of silicic acid and other impurities such as potash, soda, lime, bitter earth, and iron oxide, while some types, such as bone-ash soft porcelain, contain phosphoric acid. Although the chemical composition of glazes varies with the type of ware, they are all silicic acid compounds, and some glazes are mixed with boric acid compounds. However, the five most common bases are potash, soda, lime, chalcopyrite, and lead oxide, some containing two or three of these, and some containing all of them. Some contain two or three of them, while others contain all of them. Some also contain heavy clay, bitter clay, zinc oxide, etc. for special purposes. For more information on the classification of ceramics, please refer to the section on “Classification of Pottery.
The origin of ceramics, or in other words, the very rudiments of ceramics, has been known since prehistoric times, as evidenced by artifacts excavated from shell middens and other earthen mounds, but the origin of ceramics cannot be clearly determined. However, it is likely that when humans first learned that wet clay could dry and take shape, they learned to use fire and heat, and immediately began to use clay to make pottery. The greatest progress in the art of pottery making since the beginning of time was made in Egypt, where the use of the potter’s wheel also seems to have begun. The discovery of a drawing of a potter using this wheel on the wall of the tomb of Beni Hassan during the Thebes period shows how old the use of the wheel is.
The use of glaze is also said to be the oldest in Egypt and was already in use as early as B.C. The Chinese also began to use glaze in prehistoric times. Legend has it that the Chinese also advanced in the art of pottery making in prehistoric times, with Shen Nong making tile ware and the Yellow Emperor having the official position of Tao Zheng, who made Kungo pottery. As we will see later, pottery has existed in Japan since prehistoric times. The art of pottery making has been known to all peoples since time immemorial, and although there were ups and downs in its production methods, it gradually developed through the invention of individual peoples and the transmission of knowledge among them. The Egyptian pottery, the most advanced in antiquity, was developed by the Assyrians and then by the Persians, who transmitted it to Europe through the Moorish invasion and occupation of Spain and southern France in the Middle Ages, and later to the Spanish conquest by the Christians, which put an end to the pottery industry there, but the Italians transmitted their lineage to the Persians in the 15th century. The Italians invented the opaque white tin glaze in the fifteenth century. In the 18th century, the English invented hard ceramics, which further revolutionized the pottery industry. The most advanced porcelain among all ceramics was invented by the Chinese, and although its date of origin is said to be the end of the Han dynasty, it was not until the Tang dynasty that it developed and produced good wares, beginning in the Song dynasty and continuing through the Ming dynasty. The Xuande (1426-35) and Chenghua (1465-87) periods of the Ming Dynasty were particularly prominent, and Longqing and Wanli (1567-1619) also saw a great deal of activity. In the West, porcelain was first produced in Saxony at the beginning of the 18th century in imitation of Chinese products, and from there it spread to other countries. The production of porcelain in Japan was the result of the Joseon War (1592-8). In the West, Germany, England, and Czechoslovakia were the leading producers of porcelain from an industrial standpoint, while France was the foremost producer of fine porcelain, and England surpassed them in hard ware and bone ash soft ware. The United States has significantly increased its production in modern times. In the Orient, Japan is the world’s leading exporter, surpassed only by Germany and the United Kingdom. China is still a major producer of ceramics and porcelain, albeit at a slower rate than in the past. The following is a brief history of Japanese ceramics from many sources.
The first pottery was made from clay. All of them are unglazed earthenware. When Susanowo-no-mikoto went to Kawakami in Izumo Province, the local people brewed sake in jars and pots. The dish was made from undersea clay, however. The sea god Toyotama-hime once used a jade bowl to draw water from a well. At the time, ceramic arms were usually used, so bowls made of jade were called “tama-bowls”. In the third year before the accession to the throne of Emperor Jinmu, the emperor attempted to defeat bandits in Yamato. At that time, he had Shiinetsuhiko make a vessel out of hani (clay) from Mt. The place where he took the clay is called Hani’an. Hani’an means to soften the clay. The vessel offered to the god is called “Izumidaysaya”. It is a later version of Ihabidaysae. There was an earlier craftsman in Oshima-gun, Izuminokuni. They often made pottery, so the place was called Tono, which was later called Toukisou. In the third year of Emperor Taruhito’s reign, a craftsman from Kagamidani, Omi Province, who was a descendant of a naturalized Silla (Silla), often made Silla-style ceramics. In the 32nd year of the same emperor’s reign, Empress Hiyabahime-no-Mikoto died, and in order to bury her, Nomi Sukune consulted with the emperor and made a mausoleum and erected ceramic people and horses. The tombs were then called tatemono or haniwa (clay figurines). At this time, the Dojibu government was established for the first time, and the area where pottery was to be made was designated, with Nomi-no-Sukune as the chief and given the surname Doji. Later, his descendants, the dojis, oversaw the craftsmen and served the imperial court. During the reign of Emperor Keiko, there was a deity in Saka, Hizen Province, who was known to kill passersby in the mountains, and the governor of that province, Oarata, was troubled by this.
He was troubled by this, and was told that if he took soil from Shimoda Village, made statues of a man and a horse, and worshipped them, the deity’s will would surely be appeased.
Ooarada obeyed her words and worshipped the deity. This was the beginning of the practice of worshiping ceramic horses and men as deities in Japan. In the 4th year of the reign of Emperor Yunkyo, a vessel was used to correct the nobility of his subjects. In the 7th year of the reign of Emperor Yusei, the emperor began to actively promote the pottery industry, and using the council of the Western Han dynasty, he invited the Baekje potter Kogi to reside in Momohara, Kawachi Province. Later, Baekje’s pottery methods spread to Japan, and the pottery industry in other countries gradually began to flourish. In the 17th year of the same year, the emperor issued an imperial decree to Dojigo and others to make and offer purified vessels for the morning and evening meals. The first time we can see the vessels in use was during the reign of Emperor Hyeonjong. Later, in 645, he appointed a court priest to manage the Doji craftsmen. According to legend, the origin of Karatsu ware is said to be the frequent production of pottery in Hizen Province in those days, and in 701 (Taiho 1), the doors for pottery workers were established, and in 703 (Taimura 3), when a plague broke out in the country, the first great Tsuinoyusin (a ceremonial driving ceremony for oxen) was organized.
For archaeological research, see Jomon Pottery, Yayoi Pottery, Sue ware and Doji ware.
Nara Period] When Emperor Shoutoku built Gyokuden (Hall of the Goden) in the To-in Temple, he painted a pattern of “Mokeki” on the lapis lazuli tile roofing. The lapis lazuli tiles were glazed, and the use of colored glazes on ceramics probably began to flourish around this time.
In 794 (Enryaku 13), when the capital was moved to a new location, heki kawara (blue-glazed roof tiles) were made and used to roof Daigoku-den (the main building of the Imperial Palace). In 808 (Daidou 3), the potteries were transferred to the Daizen Shokudo, and thereafter pottery was produced at the Daizen Shokudo. 815 (Kounin 6): Zuishi-ki Sei Nimbu Otomaro and others from the three families of Owari Yamada-gun learned the art and worked in the same manner as the Zosei. During the Nara and Heian periods, celadon was called “secret color” and was highly prized. In 905, the Emperor Murakami used sake bottles of this color for his imperial meals, and in 905 (Engi 5), he established a system whereby the ten provinces of Yamato, Kawachi, Settsu, Izumi, Omi, Mino, Harima, Bizen, and Sanuki were to pay tribute in the form of pottery, and two provinces, Owari and Nagato, were to be provided with porcelain for their annual offerings.
After the Jouhei Tenkei Rebellion, the pottery industry gradually declined, and since only a few artisans followed the law, the countries that should have been dedicated to ceramics began to use other materials instead.
Since the Jokyu Rebellion of the Kamakura period, the production of ceramics by artisans in many countries has been extremely rare. During the reign of Emperor Go-Horikawa, a man named Kato Shirozaemon Keisho entered the Song dynasty (960-1279) and learned the pottery method, and opened a kiln in Seto Village, Kasugai County, Owari Prefecture (Seto City, Aichi Prefecture). He was called Fujishiro, and his work is called Koseto. From this point on, he began to produce decorative works of art. Since then, pottery production developed and Shigaraki ware flourished during the reign of Emperor Go-Uda, and Iga ware during the reign of Emperor Godaigo. However, these were not founded until the Muromachi period (1333-1573).
In the Muromachi period (1333-1573), most of the pottery was imported from China, Korea, and the southern islands, but as the tea ceremony and incense ceremony became popular, potters began to appear and produce pottery in various regions. Seto ware perfected the tenmoku glaze and produced a wider variety of vessels. In addition, Bizen ware (Ibe ware, which is said to have originated long ago, produced vases and tea utensils from the end of the Edo period and is called Ko-Bizen) and Karatsu ware (Nenuki ware was produced between 1334 and 1487, the period from Kenmu to Bunmei, and Okukoryo ware was produced between 1469 and 1592, the period from Bunmei to Tensho. The “Okukorai” was made from 1469 to 1592, from the period of civilization to the Tensho period.
The Momoyama Period: Toyotomi Hideyoshi favored the tea ceremony and cherished ancient vessels, and tea masters such as Sen no Rikyu, Hosokawa Yusai, and Furuta Oribe had ceramics made according to their favorites.
In Kyoto, Tanaka Chojiro produced Raku ware, followed by Sho’i, Man’emon, Genjuro, and Sohaku, and in Bizen, Mikazuki Rokubei and others produced their own original tea ceremony utensils. The lords who served in the Bunroku-Keicho War brought back those who had returned and were capable of making ceramics, and had them open pottery kilns in their respective territories. The pottery industry sprang up in various regions. In particular, the Lee family (Kanegae Sanbei), who followed the Marquis Nabeshima of Saga, discovered porcelain materials in Arita Izumiyama around 1615-44, and created the first porcelain in Japan. Oribe ware, created by Oribe Furuta, also appeared in this period.
In the Shoho period (1644-8), the first porcelain painting technique was developed by Sakaida Kakiemon in Hizen, and exported to China, marking the pioneering entry of Japanese ceramics into the overseas market. Famous examples include Park Heiyoi of Satsuma and Igarashi Jirozaemon of Takatori, Chikuzen. Hon’ami Koetsu was another famous example of the extra skills of a sukkyoka. Kobori Toemori Masakazu, the magistrate of Fushimi, was also an expert on the tea ceremony, and he gave his designs to the kilns of Iga, Shigaraki, Shidoro, Zesho, Ueno, Takatori, Asahi, Kosobe, Akahada, and others to improve and advance their techniques. Clans also protected pottery kilns, and the most prominent of these include Shimazu’s Tateno kiln, Kuroda’s Takatori kiln, Nabeshima’s Okawachi kiln, Owari Tokugawa’s Omukai kiln, Todo’s Marubashira kiln, Matsuura’s Mikawauchi kiln, Kishu Tokugawa’s Kairakuen kiln, and Ii’s Koto kiln. In addition, Ibe, Karatsu, Tanba, Awata, Hagi, and Seto all produced unusual pieces, and most of the other kilns, including Kaga-Kutani, Shimizu, Arita, Oto, Awaji, Tobe, Aizu, Sanda, Soma, Imado, Banko, Mino, Kasama, Mashiko, Akashi, Nushina, Rakuyama, and Ecchu Seto, were established during this period. Many of them were located in Kyoto and other places in Japan, and many of them became famous as master craftsmen.
After the Meiji Restoration, most of the tea ceremony utensils used for tea ceremonies began to decline, but Arita, Seto, and Kutani, which manufactured tableware, not only met domestic demand but also exported their products overseas, and enjoyed a period of rapid growth. After the Meiji Restoration, Arita took the lead in importing Western kiln methods, and for a time, the products of the Koransha and Seiji companies were praised by foreigners. Mino, Tobe, and Aizu ware made rapid progress after the Meiji Restoration, and their production value increased remarkably. Although Tomobe and Aizu were not famous for their ceramics, they suddenly developed after the Meiji Restoration, and many of them were exported to foreign countries. Tokyo also began to produce porcelain master craftsmen after the Meiji Restoration, and some of them began to produce works of art.
In Kyoto, there were many potters in the Gojozaka and Awata areas who produced works of art from the early period, and even today, in addition to exports, Kyoto’s unique works of art are produced by those who have inherited the tradition and continue to produce exquisite pieces, preserving the old tradition and maintaining its dignity.
The recent development of the industry has been stimulated by foreign demand, which has given it the potential to be converted into factories.
