SagaArt & CraftsArita
Arita Porcelain
Japanese porcelain began when a Korean potter found the right stone here in 1616; within decades it was shipping to Europe.
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SagaArt & Crafts
SagaArt & CraftsArita
Kakiemon Kiln
Its milk-white body and sparing use of colour were copied across Europe and shaped Meissen's own style.
SagaArt & CraftsArita
Imaemon Kiln
Hereditary enamellers to the Nabeshima lords, keeping a technique where ink drawn on the glaze burns away and leaves white.
SagaArt & CraftsImari
Okawachiyama, the Nabeshima Domain Kiln
To stop the technique leaking, the potters were gathered in a valley ringed by sheer rock mountains and controlled by a checkpoint, firing items for the clan lord and gifts for the shogun and other daimyo.
SagaArt & CraftsImari
Iro-Nabeshima Porcelain
Made as presentation and gift ware, never for sale, so nothing was compromised; red, yellow and green are layered over underglaze blue, and even the underside and foot ring follow a fixed standard.
SagaArt & CraftsKaratsu
Karatsu Ware
Ranked third among tea wares after Raku and Hagi; its coarse clay and quick iron-drawn grasses were chosen for their plainness.
Ureshino
Hizen Yoshida Ware
A district with no fixed house style, and lately one that works with outside designers rather than tradition.
SagaArt & CraftsKashima
Saga Nishiki Brocade
Gold-leafed paper slit into warp threads and woven with silk - said to have been conceived by a lord's wife studying her ceiling.
Kanzaki
Ozaki Clay Dolls
Said to descend from Mongol prisoners of the 13th-century invasions; its dove whistles died out and were revived.
Takeo
Yumino Dolls
Large, strongly coloured clay dolls in the Hakata manner, kept going by a single workshop and its moulds.
Saga
Butsudan of Saga
A strongly Pure Land region kept the altar trade alive, its lacquering, gilding and metalwork divided between hands.
Saga
Nabeshima Dantsu Rugs
Cotton rugs knotted one stitch at a time as domain tribute; the craft lapsed and was reconstructed.
Arita
Contemporary Arita
At its 400th anniversary the district began pairing kilns with foreign designers - a tradition deliberately updating itself.
Karatsu
Karatsu Kilns and the Tataki Method
Clay compacted by beating with a paddle rather than thrown - a Korean method still in use here.
NagasakiArt & CraftsHasami
Hasami Ware
Porcelain made cheap enough for ordinary households - the ware that put porcelain on the Japanese table.
NagasakiArt & CraftsSasebo
Mikawachi Ware
The Hirado domain kiln, known for Chinese children painted in blue and for pierced openwork carved into the body.
NagasakiArt & CraftsNagasaki
Nagasaki Tortoiseshell Work
Shell joined by heat and pressure alone, with no adhesive; the skill lies in reading which piece is clear enough.
Nagasaki
Nagasaki Embroidery
Padded with cotton so dragons and lions stand out in relief, used on the hangings of the great autumn festival.
Kumamoto
Higo Inlay
Fine grooves cut into iron and filled with hammered gold and silver - a sword-fitting craft now turned to jewellery.
Kumamoto
Obake no Kinta
Pull the string and its eyes roll and its tongue shoots out - a papier-mache doll said to model a retainer of Kato Kiyomasa, with its prototype said to date from the Kaei era.
KumamotoArt & Crafts
KumamotoArt & CraftsAmakusa
Amakusa Ceramics and Porcelain Stone
Eighty percent of Japan's porcelain stone comes from this island - Arita and Hasami both depend on it.
KumamotoArt & CraftsYamaga
Yamaga Lanterns
Shrines and castles built from paper and paste alone - hollow, frameless, and light enough to dance with on the head.