Made in Japan products are perceived as high quality and precise, which are all the works of Japan’s craftsmanship, with traditional Techniques passed down for generations. Arita, located in Saga Prefecture on the western side of Kyushu, is one of the small towns of local Japan that is known for its craftsmanship, and is particularly special in that it is where Japanese porcelain was born more than 400 years ago.
An express train takes you from Hakata station in Fukuoka to Arita in an hour and a half, where a local train station with a station sign made of porcelain awaits you. If you’re lucky, you will find round Arita porcelain pieces in a basket near the doors to the station waiting area to take home as souvenirs. (The round pieces are called “Hama”, which are pieces of porcelain used when firing products but are thrown away after the process. They are offered as souvenirs to save waste!)
As the birthplace of Japanese porcelain, the small town is full of porcelain. There are shops which sell Arita porcelain products, galleries which exhibit traditional Arita porcelain artworks, studios where you can actually see craftsmen making products, and cafes/restaurants that use Arita porcelain tableware. But that is not all. Because Arita porcelain is very resistant, it has been used in many different ways other than tableware; there are umbrella stands made of Arita porcelain, toilets, sinks, lights, maps, and even a car (unfortunately you cannot ride in it), and shrine made of Arita porcelain!
Arita porcelain dates back to 1616, when a Korean potter was brought to Japan after the Korean invasion. The potter discovered stone to make porcelain in Arita, and thus porcelain manufacturing became the main industry of the town.
Because a large port was located next to Arita (the port of Imari), Arita porcelain flourished and was exported to Europe, winning awards at World Expos held in the late 1800s. European porcelain manufacturers started copying the distinct colors and patterns of Arita porcelain, but Arita’s techniques were kept secret for many centuries, which is one of the reasons why Arita porcelain has been so valuable and thus expensive. This was made possible due to Arita’s division of labor; from preparing the clay to painting intricate patterns, each procedure is done by a specialist in that field, which allows them to focus on brushing up that specific skill. No one person was able to make Arita porcelain by themself, and it is said that this was adopted not only to heighten one’s skill, but to keep Arita porcelain techniques from leaking. (In order to steal the secrets of Arita porcelain making, one would have to ask more than four craftsmen about their techniques as each craftsman only knew their part of the production phase, and that was nearly impossible.)
<Author>
Saori Futsukaichi
Staff writer of WaWo Japan Travel