Centuries ago, during a brief span of 30-40 years, one of the classic styles of Japanese pottery was born. From the end of the Momoyama Period into the early Edo Period (late 16th-early 17th centuries) nearly 300 kilns were producing wares the world knows as Karatsu-yaki.
The essence of true Karatsu pottery is found in somber wares with a wide variety of glazes ranging from earthy, buff tones to cascading, deep ocean blues. Yet Karatsu-yaki is so influential that "Karatsu" is applied generically to a broad range of pots made across western Japan. (An equivalent from eastern Japan would be Seto-mono.)
There are many famous collections of Karatsu ware in Japan, but none as extensive as the Idemitsu Museum of Art's collection in Tokyo, which is comprised of more than 300 pieces. Karatsu fans across the nation have been flocking to "Ko-Garatsu: Treasures of Momoyama Ceramics," the Idemitsu's current exhibition, showing until May 30.