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Kutani ware (Kutani yaki) is traditional porcelain produced in Kanazawa, Komatsu, Kaga, and Nomi in Ishikawa Prefecture. Its precise painting decoration is highly evaluated, and it is used as a gift for the Imperial Household Agency in Japan. In addition, it has established a high position overseas, such as being used by many celebrities.

In this column, we will introduce the history and characteristics of Kutani ware.

Table of Contents
1.　History: A history with a Mysterious Blank Period of 100 Years
_1-1. Ko-Kutani
_1-2. Revived Kutani (Saiko-Kutani)
_1-3. Japan Kutani
2.　Features: High-Quality Pottery Stone, Beautiful Decoration
_2-1. Material
_2-2. Decoration
3.　Conclusion

History

Ko-kutani

Kutani ware was born in Kutani village (now Kaga city, Ishikawa prefecture) around 1655 in the early Edo period. Toshitsune Maeda, the 3rd head of the Kaga clan, started producing porcelain after hearing the discovery pottery stone in Kutani Village. To start the production of porcelain, Saijiro Goto, a feudal retainer of the Daishoji clan was dispatched to Arita, a famous place for porcelain production by Toshiharu, who is the feudal lord of Daishoji and the tea master and Toshitsune’s son. Saijiro, who had learned pottery making techniques in Arita, later returned to Kutani and built a kiln, thus starting the production of Kutani ware.

When producing porcelain in Kutani, Saijiro reflected the Kaga Hyakumangoku culture which has the splendid decorativeness, to the porcelain. And the porcelain with unique stylistic beauty was born. The pottery made around this time is called “Ko-Kutani”, and it still has high artistic value as a representative of Japanese painted porcelain.

However, this Ko-Kutani era lasted only about 45 years. In the early 1700s, the kiln suddenly closed. The reason for this is still unknown today and remains a mystery.

Revived Kutani (Saiko-Kutani)

In 1807, after a mysterious hiatus of about 100 years, efforts to revive Kutani porcelain began. Kasugayama Kiln, a clan-owned kiln, was opened in Kanazawa, and the famous potter Mokubei Aoki was invited from Kyoto. With the opening of the Kasugayama kiln, kilns with unique painting styles opened one after another, and Kutani ware was successfully revived. Newly opened kilns include Wakasugi Kiln, which was opened by a disciple of Mokubei; Yoshidaya Kiln, which was opened by Denemon Toyoda, a wealthy merchant of the Daishoji Domain; Miyamotoya Kiln, which took over the Yoshidaya Kiln; and Matsuyama Kiln, which was built by the Daishoji Domain etc.. The works created during this period are called “Revived Kutani”.

Japan Kutani

In 1873 during the Meiji era, the beauty of Kutani ware came to be highly appreciated overseas as a result of the World Exposition held in Vienna, Austria. In particular, plates with detailed paintings in red and gold, known as colored brocade, by Shoza Kutani gained popularity and were known as “Japan Kutani.” A large number of orders were received from overseas, and trade was flourishing.

Today, Kutani ware is used as gifts for the Imperial Household Agency. Even overseas, it has been used by many celebrities and has established its position in the world. In addition, during the Heisei era, living national treasures such as Yasokichi Tokuda and Minori Yoshida were born.

Features: High-Quality Pottery Stone, Beautiful Decoration

Material

Kutani ware is made from porcelain stone from the Hanasaka area. There are only a few places in Japan that produce pottery stone, and the Hanasaka district is one of those precious pottery stone production areas. In this place, quarrying continues unabated until now.

The clay from the Hanasaka area, which was made by crushing pottery stone and mixing it with water, was tough and perfect for pottery making. The pottery stone of the Hanasaka district is so important to the production of Kutani ware that it is said by master craftsmen of Kutani that “It cannot be called true Kutani ware unless it is made from pottery stone mined from the Hanasaka pottery stone factory.”

Decoration

The charm of Kutani ware is the beauty of its decoration. The five Kutani colors of red, yellow, green, purple, and navy blue are used as the basis for vivid colors, and the beautiful patterns are drawn like paintings.

In Ko-Kutani, Morikage Kusumi, a painter of the Kano school, served the Maeda family and painted Kutani pottery paintings.

Each kiln in the Revived Kutani had its own characteristics.

・Mokubei style: The entire surface is painted in red, and the five colors of Kutani are used to write characters in a Chinese style.
・Yoshidaya style: Use the remaining four colors instead of red.
・Miyamotoya style/Iidaya-style: A style in which people are drawn densely in red, and the surroundings are filled with small sentences.
・Eiraku style: The entire surface is undercoated with red, and then painted only with gold.
・Shoza style: Incorporating all the techniques from Ko-Kutani in the layout style.

All of them use very rich colors and have high artistic value and artistry, attracting people.

Conclusion

The way to enjoy Kutani ware is to look at its beautiful colors and paintings. Kutani ware has a variety of patterns, such as paintings of flowers and birds, landscapes, and portraits. In addition, the painting technique also varies depending on the era, from the free brushstrokes of Ko-Kutani to the realistic painting style of Revived Kutani.

Kutani ware can be enjoyed not only as tableware, but also as interior decoration. How about finding your favorite Kutani ware and using it for a long time?

Imoto Sangyo handles a wide variety of Japanese ceramics and pottery. For more information, please see the “Goods & Cases” page.

(Reference)
Ishikawa Prefecture Kutani Ceramics Commerce and Industry Cooperative Federation
Ishikawa Prefecture Kutaniyaki Art Museum 
Kutaniyaki MAG