Nabeshima ware

Nabeshima ware tripod large dish with heron design, underglaze blue, c. 1690–1710s (Important Cultural Property)
Plate with three jars
Dish with three jars design, Edo period 1680-90s; Hizen ware; Nabeshima type; Porcelain with underglaze blue and overglaze polychrome enamels

Nabeshima ware (鍋島焼, Nabeshima-yaki) is a type of Japanese pottery, specifically an unusually high-quality porcelain. It was produced in Ōkawachi kilns managed directly by the Saga Domain under the Nabeshima clan from the 17th to the 19th centuries.[1] Imari ware and Arita ware were also under the control of the Saga Domain, and Nabeshima ware is sometimes regarded as a variant of Imari ware, as its kilns were located in what is now the city of Imari, Saga Prefecture Japan. The technique also differs from that of most Japanese porcelain, with the outlines of the pattern done in underglaze blue before the overglaze "enamelled" final decoration.[2] Nabeshima ware was not made for sale, but for the specific use of the Nabeshima clan and as gifts for the Tokugawa shogunate and various daimyō.[3] It was discontinued in 1871 with the abolition of the feudal domains, but the technique was revived as a modern craft by the Imaizumi Imaemon family, descendants of the master lineage, and has continued to the 21st century.[2]

  1. ^ Smith, Harris, & Clark, 164; Ford & Impey, 110-112
  2. ^ a b Ford & Impey, 110
  3. ^ "大川内鍋島窯跡" (in Japanese). Imari City home page. Retrieved December 20, 2023.