Shimamono is a general term for foreign ceramics imported after the Tenbun period (1532-1555) and of unknown provenance. The clay is coarser and the glaze color less lustrous than that of Han or Tang wares, yet there is a certain elegance in the coarseness of the work.
They are from southern China, the South Seas Islands, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, and India, and although they are also called island wares, some of them seem to differ greatly in origin and type. In short, these unidentified ceramics were called “shimamono” by the tea masters.
