During the Wanreki period (1573-1619) of the Ming dynasty in China, the government kilns produced high-quality blue-and-white and red-painted wares, but in the latter half of the period, financial constraints forced mass production, which, combined with a lack of resources, resulted in a decline in the quality of the wares. The fact that some of the Manryaku vessels we see today have large margins and elaborate designs, while others have busy and noisy designs, can be interpreted as a result of the violent differences in the political situation before and after the period. In terms of production volume, however, the later period’s porcelain is much larger, and is generally referred to as Manryaku porcelain. Porcelain produced during this period was often subjected to insect-eating because of the lack of clay from Asakura and the use of other clays, which resulted in poor glaze-glaze bonding. Blue and blue flowers were produced using clay blue, but the color was not as beautiful as in the previous period because of the increased use of clay blue in the mixture. Red painting, following the tradition of Jiajing (1522-1666), used many colors and boasted gorgeous effects, but later, as mentioned above, the patterns became too prolific and the use of coloring too intrusive and noisy. This was, so to speak, a terminal symptom of decadence, but for some reason, this style was favored in Japan, and the name of Mangyaku akae became even more famous. In addition to the Jianjing style, the Manryei period also produced large, oddly shaped works such as folding screens, game boards, and fan boxes. Many of the wares are unique, such as openworked dishes with many compartments inside, and intricate food baskets with small fan-shaped containers combined in a circular shape. The year inscriptions were not limited to the circular or square inscriptions of the previous period, but also included unusual inscriptions such as those surrounded by a frame.
