Japanese Ceramics

Of all Japanese arts, one of the oldest, most indigenous, and most widely recognized worldwide is ceramics. It is difficult to proclaim any particular religious influence on ceramic styles, but the Zen taste for directness, simplicity, earthiness, and irregular shapes is nonetheless prominent in the work of many modern Japanese potters. Nonetheless, Japanese pottery did not develop in a vacuum. Perhaps the greatest influence on Japanese pottery during Japan's feudal periods came from Korea. The Korean influence on Japanese pottery is profound. For example, Japan's famous Hagi ware originated when Korean potters were brought back to Japan during the "pottery wars" of 1592 AD and 1597 -1598 AD.

For nearly 12,000 years, Japan has been producing ceramics. The earliest pottery, developed in the mountains around Nagano, was heavy and unglazed, reflecting the types of clay available in the mountains. Beginning with rice cultivation in around 300 BC, coarse mountain pottery gave way to the development of smoother, finer types of ceramics made from the delta silts where rice was grown. Although much of Japan's ceramic technology came from China, Japan developed a multitude of techniques and styles of its own.