History

These four centuries have brought many landmark events in the history of Mikawachi ware. One of the most significant was the transition from the era of the official Hirado Domain kiln to the era of smaller, family-run kilns. Here we present its history in question-and-answer format.

Its origins can be traced back about four hundred years, to the time of the Japan's second invasion of Korea, led by Toyotomi Hideyoshi , who intended to conquer Korea and eventually Ming-dynasty China. Returning to Japan after this campaign, Hirado Domain's daimyõ, Matsuura Shigenobu brought back with him, on the ruler's orders, a number of captive Korean potters, one of whom was known simply as "Koseki". In 1598, Koseki opened a kiln in Nakano, and began producing the first porcelain ware ever made in Hirado. This is why Mikawachi ware is also sometimes known as Hirado ware or Nakano ware. So, the first Mikawachi ware was made by Korean potters.

According to some sources, a deposit of Ajiro pottery stone (ajiro tõseki) was discovered in 1634 by Koseki and his son Imamura Sannojê , in a location then known as Hairomitsudake (corresponding to the place now known as Egami in Sasebo). According to other sources, it was discovered in 1712 by Yokoishi Tõshichibê (third son of Nakazato Moemon, our second generation kiln head) who lived on Mount Kihara (Kiharayama) in the Mikawachi area. At present, the first version is more generally accepted.

In 1662, Imamura Sannojõ's son, Imamura Yajibê, is said to have discovered a deposit of Amakusa pottery stone in Kumamoto. His discovery is said to have been prompted by noticing ceramic whetstones being unloaded from traders' boats at Haiki (in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture), and making enquiries about their provenance. Today, the banks of Haiki Strait are the site of an annual market known as Haiki Chaichi, where fish, mountain produce and other goods are sold by local traders. This market is about four hundred years old, so the story could well be true.

The founder of our kiln was Kõrai Baba (also known by his Japanese name, Nakazato Ei). He is said to have been one of the Korean potters brought to Japan as captives in 1598, and like the famous Koseki, he probably came from the Busan area.

Highly regarded for his skill as a potter, Kõrai Baba married into the family of Nakazato Moemon in Shiinomine, Karatsu, and took the Nakazato family name. On the death of the head of the family, he relocated to Mikawachi and opened a kiln at Nagahayama in Mikawachi. He is now remembered as one of the pioneering artisans of Mikawachi ware.

Kõrai Baba's relocation from Karatsu to Mikawachi was apparently made with encouragement from an ex-Karatsu potter who had moved to Mikawachi following an event known as the "Kishidake collapse" . Here is an account of what happened. The Kishidake area of Karatsu had long been home to a number of highly-regarded kilns using Korean techniques. These kilns had enjoyed the direct patronage of the Hata family, whose head was the local daimyõ. However, during the Japanese invasions of Korea in the 1590s, the daimyõ Hata was ordered by Hideyoshi to join a military campaign in Ungcheon. Hata delayed his departure for more than 18 months, and as punishment for his disobedience, Hideyoshi destroyed the entire Hata family. The potters of Kishidake were obliged to leave the area. Some of them fled to Mikawachi to work for the family of Ryûzõ Jiichi, a Hata connection who still retained power and status in the locality. This explains why recent excavations at Nagahayama turned up Karatsu-style pottery in the earliest stratum of the surveyed area.