{"id":19878,"date":"2026-08-25T20:18:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T10:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themccorrycollection.com\/m\/shop\/?page_id=19878"},"modified":"2026-08-26T18:55:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T08:55:58","slug":"japanese-chinese-ceramics-history-marks-styles-and-collecting-guide","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/themccorrycollection.com\/m\/shop\/japanese-chinese-ceramics-history-marks-styles-and-collecting-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese & Chinese Ceramics: History, Marks, Styles and Collecting Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Japanese
Japanese blue and white porcelain charger featuring detailed cobalt bird and floral decoration, from the TMC Emporium collection.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Explore Japanese and Chinese ceramics including Imari, Kutani, Satsuma, Famille Rose, Famille Verte, blue and white porcelain, marks, glazes, chargers and collecting tips.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese and Japanese ceramics represent some of the richest and most varied traditions in the history of decorative art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They encompass far more than the familiar blue and white porcelain often associated with Asian ceramics. Across centuries of production, Chinese and Japanese potters worked with porcelain, stoneware and earthenware, developing an extraordinary range of glazes, enamel palettes, firing techniques and decorative styles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collectors may encounter brilliant Famille Rose<\/strong> and Famille Verte<\/strong> Chinese porcelain, cobalt-decorated blue and white wares, monochrome glazes, colourful Chinese export pieces, Japanese Imari<\/strong>, Kutani<\/strong>, Kakiemon<\/strong>, Nabeshima<\/strong>, Arita<\/strong> and Satsuma<\/strong>, alongside many regional and later decorative traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Large chargers and dishes are particularly useful for understanding these styles because their broad surfaces allowed decorators to combine borders, panels, landscapes, flowers, birds, figures, animals and symbolic motifs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guide provides an introduction to the major Chinese and Japanese ceramic traditions, explains common terminology and marks, and outlines the physical features collectors can examine when researching an unidentified piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is intended as a starting point rather than an attempt to force every Asian ceramic into a single classification. Many of the styles introduced here deserve their own specialist guides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ceramics, Porcelain, Stoneware and Earthenware<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before considering individual styles, it is useful to understand an important distinction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ceramics<\/strong> is the broad term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within ceramics are different types of fired clay bodies, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • porcelain<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • stoneware<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • earthenware.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Porcelain is generally highly fired, hard and relatively vitrified. Depending on its composition and thickness, it can appear white and sometimes translucent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Stoneware is also fired to relatively high temperatures and can be extremely durable but normally has a different body composition and appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Earthenware is generally fired at lower temperatures and remains more porous unless glazed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This distinction is particularly important when discussing Japanese ceramics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For example, Satsuma ware is traditionally a type of earthenware<\/strong>, despite often being grouped with Japanese porcelain in shops, auctions and collecting literature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For this reason, the broader term Japanese and Chinese ceramics<\/strong> is more accurate for a collection encompassing all of these traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chinese Ceramics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    China has one of the world\u2019s longest and most influential ceramic traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chinese potters developed sophisticated high-fired ceramics centuries before porcelain manufacture became established in Europe, and Chinese ceramics profoundly influenced production throughout Asia, the Islamic world and eventually Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One of China\u2019s most important porcelain centres became Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    From the Yuan dynasty onward, Jingdezhen developed into an extraordinary centre of porcelain manufacture, ultimately producing ceramics for the imperial court, domestic consumers and international export markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chinese ceramic history is enormous, but collectors of decorative porcelain most frequently encounter pieces associated with the Ming dynasty, Qing dynasty and later nineteenth- and twentieth-century production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chinese Blue and White Porcelain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Blue and white remains one of the most recognisable Chinese porcelain traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Cobalt pigment is painted onto the ceramic body and covered with a transparent glaze. During firing, the cobalt develops the blue decoration beneath the glaze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is known as underglaze blue<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chinese blue and white production became particularly important during the Yuan dynasty and reached extraordinary levels of technical and artistic refinement during subsequent Ming and Qing production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Decoration may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • dragons<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • phoenixes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • lotus flowers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • peonies<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • prunus blossom<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • chrysanthemums<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • landscapes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • scholars<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • figures<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • birds<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • deer<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • fish<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • clouds<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • waves<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Buddhist and Daoist symbols.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Blue and white porcelain can range from freely painted provincial and export wares to extremely refined imperial production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The colour of the cobalt alone should never be used to establish age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Wucai \u2013 Five-Colour Decoration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Another important Chinese decorative tradition is wucai<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The term is commonly translated as five colours<\/strong>, although a piece does not necessarily contain precisely five colours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Wucai generally combines underglaze cobalt blue with coloured overglaze enamels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Typical colours can include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • blue<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • green<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • red<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • yellow<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • aubergine or purple tones.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Wucai became particularly prominent during the Ming dynasty and influenced later enamelled ceramic traditions both within China and abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Japanese potters also responded to Chinese polychrome porcelain as Japan\u2019s own porcelain industry developed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Famille Verte<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

        \n
        \"Chinese
        Chinese Famille Verte charger with polychrome enamel landscape, floral and decorative border motifs, from the TMC Emporium collection.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

        Famille Verte<\/strong> is one of the major terms encountered by collectors of Qing dynasty Chinese porcelain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The name means green family<\/strong> and refers to a decorative palette in which green is visually dominant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Famille Verte decoration commonly incorporates:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • several shades of green<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • iron-red<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • yellow<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • aubergine or purple<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • black<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • occasional underglaze blue.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          The palette became particularly associated with the Kangxi period, 1662\u20131722<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Famille Verte pieces can be extraordinarily elaborate. Chargers, dishes and vases may feature birds, flowering gardens, mythical animals, court scenes, warriors, landscapes or compartmentalised borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Importantly, Famille Verte<\/em> is a later Western classification. It does not identify a particular Chinese factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Famille Rose<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Famille Rose<\/strong>, meaning pink family<\/strong>, describes another major Chinese enamel palette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          In China the related technique is often associated with fencai<\/strong>, or powdered colours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          The introduction of opaque enamels allowed ceramic decorators to create much greater tonal variation than had been possible with earlier transparent enamel palettes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Pink became particularly characteristic, but Famille Rose porcelain is certainly not simply \u201cpink porcelain\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          A single object might incorporate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          • pink<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • rose<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • green<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • turquoise<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • yellow<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • blue<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • purple<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • iron-red<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • white<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • black<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • gilding.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            Famille Rose developed during the early eighteenth century and became especially important during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            The palette was also extremely successful in export markets and remained influential through the nineteenth century and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Flowers, figures, birds and elaborate narrative scenes could be rendered with much greater tonal subtlety using these colours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Famille Noire and Famille Jaune<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Collectors may also encounter the terms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Famille Noire<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            A group traditionally characterised by prominent black grounds combined with coloured enamel decoration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Famille Jaune<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            A related collector term for pieces where yellow forms a dominant part of the visual palette or ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            As with Famille Verte and Famille Rose, these are Western classification terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            They can be useful descriptions, but a ceramic should not be attributed or dated from its dominant colour alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Chinese Monochrome Glazes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Not all important Chinese ceramics are heavily decorated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Some of the most admired Chinese ceramics derive their beauty almost entirely from a single glaze or a subtly changing glazed surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Collectors may encounter monochrome or near-monochrome glazes described as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            • celadon<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • oxblood or sang-de-boeuf<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • peachbloom<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • flamb\u00e9<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • turquoise<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • yellow<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • blue<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • white<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • aubergine<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • tea-dust.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              These descriptions encompass different periods, chemistries and firing traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              A deceptively simple monochrome vessel can require enormous technical control because the glaze, body, shape and firing must work together successfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              For that reason, lack of painted decoration should never be interpreted as lack of quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Chinese Export Porcelain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Chinese ceramics were manufactured for international trade over many centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Export porcelain was produced for markets throughout:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              • Southeast Asia<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Japan<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • the Middle East<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Europe<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Britain<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • the Americas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                Foreign buyers influenced both decoration and form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Chinese potters produced objects based on overseas requirements, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  \n
                • large chargers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • dinner services<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • punch bowls<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • mugs<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • tureens<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • tea wares<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • armorial porcelain<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • European-form vessels.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                  Some export pieces combine Chinese manufacture with imagery, coats of arms or forms specifically intended for Western customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  This cross-cultural production is one reason that decoration alone does not always indicate where a ceramic was made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Canton and Later Chinese Export Decoration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Nineteenth-century collectors often encounter brightly enamelled Chinese export porcelain broadly associated with Canton<\/strong> and other export centres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Large dishes, vases and tablewares can contain dense combinations of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \n
                  • figures<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • court scenes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • birds<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • butterflies<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • flowers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • foliage<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • borders<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • gilt decoration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                    Terms such as Rose Canton<\/strong>, Rose Mandarin<\/strong> and Rose Medallion<\/strong> are frequently used within the collecting market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    These classifications can be useful, but terminology has not always been applied consistently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Collectors should therefore study the physical ceramic as well as the commercial name attached to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Japanese Ceramics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Japan developed its own remarkable ceramic traditions using earthenware, stoneware and porcelain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Some evolved primarily for domestic use, including ceramics associated with tea culture, while others became major international export products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Chinese and Korean ceramic technology exerted important early influences, but Japanese potters developed distinctive forms, colour palettes and approaches to composition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Understanding Japanese ceramics therefore involves recognising both cultural exchange and distinctly Japanese development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Arita Porcelain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Japanese porcelain manufacture became firmly established around Arita in Kyushu during the early seventeenth century<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    The region had access to suitable porcelain materials and became the principal centre of early Japanese porcelain production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Arita porcelain encompasses numerous decorative styles rather than one single appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    It can include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      \n
                    • underglaze blue<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • polychrome enamels<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • export wares<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • Kakiemon-type decoration<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • Imari-type decoration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                      This is an important point for collectors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      Arita describes a major production centre, not one colour scheme.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      Imari Porcelain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      Imari<\/strong> is one of the best-known names in Japanese ceramics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      Imari was historically the port through which much porcelain produced around Arita was transported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      Over time, the name became associated internationally with the porcelain itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      The classic Imari appearance familiar to many collectors commonly combines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        \n
                      • underglaze cobalt blue<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • iron-red enamel<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • gilding<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • white porcelain reserves.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                        Decoration can be extremely rich, with panels containing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          \n
                        • flowers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • gardens<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • birds<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • landscapes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • geometric motifs<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • stylised foliage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                          Large Imari chargers became particularly impressive decorative objects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          The term must nevertheless be used with care because Japanese porcelain classified as Imari encompasses considerable variation in date, quality and decoration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          Early Imari and Sometsuke<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          Some of the earliest Japanese porcelain is known as Early Imari<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          Much Early Imari was decorated in cobalt blue beneath a transparent glaze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          The Japanese term sometsuke<\/strong> is commonly used for ceramics decorated using underglaze cobalt blue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          Early examples can display spontaneous brushwork and comparatively free compositions rather than the highly controlled decoration seen on some Chinese imperial wares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          Chinese blue and white porcelain strongly influenced these ceramics, but Japanese decorators gradually developed their own aesthetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          Kakiemon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          Kakiemon<\/strong> is another major Japanese porcelain tradition associated with the Arita area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          Classic Kakiemon decoration is often characterised by elegant asymmetry and generous areas of undecorated white porcelain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          Typical enamel colours may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            \n
                          • iron-red<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • soft blue<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • green<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • yellow.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                            Decoration can feature:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              \n
                            • flowering plants<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • birds<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • animals<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • rocks<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • landscapes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • stylised natural motifs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                              Compared with densely decorated Imari pieces, Kakiemon can appear restrained and spacious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              Its aesthetic had an enormous influence on European porcelain manufacturers during the eighteenth century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              Nabeshima<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              Nabeshima porcelain<\/strong> represents one of the most refined traditions of Japanese porcelain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              Unlike much export porcelain, Nabeshima ware was closely connected with elite presentation and official use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              It is particularly admired for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                \n
                              • exceptionally controlled potting<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                              • refined underglaze blue<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                              • delicate enamel decoration<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                              • sophisticated compositions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                              • precise foot and border designs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                Some designs appear deceptively simple but reveal extraordinary technical control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                Nabeshima should not be confused with ordinary export Imari simply because both originated within the wider Hizen ceramic world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                Kutani<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                Kutani ware<\/strong> is essential to any broad introduction to Japanese ceramics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                Kutani is particularly associated with bold polychrome enamel decoration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                Traditional Kutani palettes can incorporate powerful combinations of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  \n
                                • green<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                • yellow<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                • purple<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                • blue<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                • iron-red.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                  Some pieces use dense overall decoration, while others contain large pictorial scenes, birds, flowers, figures or landscapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  The history of early so-called Ko-Kutani<\/strong>, or Old Kutani, is complex. Modern archaeological research has shown that some seventeenth-century wares historically classified as Kutani were actually produced in the Arita region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  Later Kutani production became firmly associated with the Kaga region and developed numerous workshops and decorative styles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  For collectors, this makes Kutani an excellent example of why historical terminology may evolve as new research becomes available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  Satsuma<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  Satsuma ware<\/strong> occupies a different place within Japanese ceramics because traditional Satsuma is generally earthenware rather than porcelain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  It originated in southern Japan and developed into one of the best-known Japanese ceramic traditions in Western collecting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  The type most familiar to international collectors commonly has:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    \n
                                  • a pale cream or ivory-coloured body<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  • fine crackled glaze<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  • detailed overglaze enamel decoration<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  • extensive gilding.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                    Subjects can include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      \n
                                    • figures<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    • samurai<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    • court scenes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    • Buddhist subjects<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    • flowers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    • birds<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    • landscapes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    • festivals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                      High-quality Satsuma can display extraordinarily fine painting and controlled gilding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      However, the huge success of Satsuma in international markets encouraged extensive later production, and quality varies enormously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      Not every object labelled \u201cSatsuma\u201d is early, rare or valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      Marks, workmanship, body, painting quality and period must all be considered together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      Hirado and Other Japanese Porcelain Traditions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      Another important Japanese porcelain tradition is Hirado ware<\/strong>, particularly associated with refined white porcelain and delicate underglaze blue decoration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      High-quality Hirado porcelain can display extremely fine modelling and subtle cobalt work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      Japan also contains many other ceramic centres and traditions that cannot all be explored within one introductory page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      These include important stoneware and pottery traditions as well as porcelain manufacture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      For collectors, regional attribution should therefore be based on more than colour or decorative subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      Japanese Export Ceramics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      Japanese ceramics became increasingly important in international trade from the seventeenth century onward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      European demand for Asian porcelain encouraged Japanese potters to produce pieces specifically suited to foreign markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      Later, during the nineteenth-century expansion of Japanese international trade, ceramics became a major component of Japanese decorative arts exported to Europe, Britain, America and Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      Export pieces can consequently range from sophisticated artistic ceramics to comparatively commercial decorative wares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      Both can be collectable, but they occupy very different markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      Chargers, Dishes and Large Decorative Plates<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      Large chargers are particularly useful objects for collectors of Chinese and Japanese ceramics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      A charger<\/strong> is essentially a large decorative or serving dish, although terminology varies according to context and culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      Their broad surfaces gave ceramic decorators substantial room for complex compositions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      A charger might display:<\/p>\n\n\n\n