'Sometsuke: Celebrating Four Centuries of Japanese Porcelain'

Jan. 7-Feb. 19

It is believed that Korean ceramist Yi Sam-pyeong, having traveled to Japan near the end of the 16th century, discovered kaolin white clay in Hizen Province (Saga Prefecture) and produced the first Japanese porcelain in 1616.

Known as Hizen ware, or Imari ware, as they were exported from Imari port, porcelain became a prosperous business when production techniques improved during the Edo Period (1603-1868).

Displayed in this exhibition are Hizen-ware pieces made between the 17th and 19th centuries, which were donated to the museum by the art collector Masayuki Yamamoto. Variations in style include sometsuke (underglaze cobalt blue), seiji (celadon) and iro-e (overglaze enamel).

Nezu Museum; 6-5-1 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo. Omotesando Stn. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. ¥1,100. Closed Mon. 03-3400-2536; www.nezu-muse.or.jp

• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

LATEST ART STORIES

The Osakan artists who bucked the system

"Do You Know Osaka Painting Circles?" ("Gozonji Desu-ka? Osaka Gadan") at the Shokado Garden Art Museum questions whether visitors know of Osaka's early modern painters. This is not disingenuous. E...

'Ikat Textiles From the World'

June 14-Sept. 10 Across the world, ikat, resist-dyeing yarn before it is woven into a fabric, is one of the most practiced techniques of patterning textiles. There are three ways to produce ikat...

'Ryo Fujimoto: "Where is the Cloud Focus?"'

June 14-July 15 Inspired by intangible themes, such as truth and distance, Ryo Fujimoto blurs the line between reality and the imagination with photography and installation works. He uses unusua...