JP: 有田焼/ありたやき
A general term for the ceramics goods which are made in and around the town of Arita, in Saga Prefecture, Japan.
In 1616 a Korean potter Ri Sampei, captured by the Japanese and brought back to Japan, discovered white claystone in Arita and started to make porcelain wares for the first time in Japan. In the 1600s, the porcelain items made in Arita were exported from the port of Imari, Saga (about 10km from Arita), which is why Arita-yaki is also known as Imari-yaki or simply as Imari.
