During the Edo-era(1600�|1868)the island country of Japan closed her borders and went into complete isolation. It was neither allowed for Japanese to leave the country nor for foreigners to enter Japan. Nagasaki remained the only port of contact with the outer world.
The artificial island of Dejima, constructed by rich traders from Nagasaki, granted a few Chinese and Dutch merchants permission to engage in severely regulated trade with Japan. However, the exchange via Dejima was much too limited to have a considerable influence on Japanese culture. This period of Japan�fs isolation is sometimes compared to the sleep of Sleeping Beauty.
Under these circumstances, Arita was one rare exception: This small village, surrounded by mountains and located of Kyushu far away from the capital Edo(later called Tokyo), continued contact with Europe through the trade of porcelain. The porcelain manufacturing tradition in Arita has a heavy foreign influence, beginning with the introduction of techniques from Korea. In Arita, the techniques were refined in products of unique beauty.

At the end of the 16th century , Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the shogun reigning in Japan at that time, lead two campaigns to conquer Korea. When his troupes retreated from Korea, some of the feudal lords brought Korean craftsman back with them. One of the captured craftsmen was the potter Ri Sam-Pei(Korean:Yi-Sam Pyung) who discovered kaolin in Arita and thus produced the first Japanese porcelain.

Soon afterwards, other Korean potters settled in Arita and started the production of the white porcelain that began to distinguish itself with its unique beauty from the Korean originals.

During the further development, Arita- yaki was also influenced by chinaware from Jingdezhen, the Chinese ceramic centre, and even products from India and Persia which might have come to Japan via the Silk Road.

Since the middle of the 17th century, comparably large quantities of Arita-yaki have been sold to Europe. Though the trade stagnated in the middle of the 18th century, it can be said that porcelain from Arita has been exported to Europe for 350 years.

The aristocracy of Europe highly valued the porcelain from Arita. The members of the Hapsburgs, Hanovers, Bourbons and other noble families, accorded the beautiful chinaware an even higher value than silver or gold. Friedrich August I(called August the Strong) , the elector of Saxony, was a passionate collector and had the precious chinaware stored in the �g Japanese Palais �g in Dreaden. Today, large parts of this collection , more than 1,000 Ko-Imari and 200 Kakiemon products, are on display in the �g Dresden Zwinger �g . The foundation of the Meissen Manufacture, the first production facility for chinaware in Europe, is also due to August the Strong. The various patterns of Arita-yaki have had a large influence on the European art styles of Baroque and Rococo.

Arita citizens not only expected chinaware to Europe, they also learned about the art of Europe, studying the products imported via Dejima. For this reason, Arita-yaki shows influences from both Asian and European cultures.

By the end of the 19th century , the Japanese feudal system collapsed and was replaced by a constitutional monarchy . In subsequent years, Arita-yaki was displayed at various world-expositions(Paris, Vienna, etc.) and won many awards.
The presentation of Japanese culture, which had been withheld from the world for such a long time, attracted great attention. Thus, the exhibition of chinaware from Arita was symbolic for the new Japan.

100 years have since passed, and today, in the 21st century, Kakiemon , Imaemon, and the other potters of Arita, are proud of retaining traditional techniques, holding up the town�fs 400 years old ceramic tradition. They still strive to develop these techniques even further, creating new products every day.

Visiting our peaceful town, surrounded by mountains, you may discover a piece of chinaware displaying a pattern of playful birds among flowers. It is possible that this pattern seems quite familiar to you. The reason is that the artistic traditions of European porcelain have been conserved carefully ever since their first arrival.