Gen' Emon Kiln

Japanese porcelain was first produced in the early 17th century in a small town called Arita located in the northern part of Kyushu island, which is the southernmost island of the four main islands of Japan. Towards the end of the 16th century, Hideyoshi Toyotomi the ruler of Japan at that time, sent his army to invade Korea twice. The feudal Lord Nabeshima, who also participated in the invasions with his troops, forced a Korean master potter named Ri Sampei and his potters group to come to Japan. It is generally accepted that this Korean potter discovered a large kaolin deposit in lzumiyama mountain in Arita, and that he successfully produced white porcelain for the first time in Japan. In 1648, Nabeshima's feudal clan government placed Arita under its strict administration in order to protect and promote porcelain manufacture in Arita, as well as prevent the leakage of the porcelain making technique to other feudal clans. It also limited porcelain trade with merchants from other feudal clans to the nearby port town of Imari.