Chosen Shuppei (Japanese Invasion of Korea)

The military dictator Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Korea in 1592 and 1597 in a campaign to expand overseas territory. Many Korean potters and craftsmen were captured and brought back to Japan. Among those potters, there was Ri Sampei, who discovered white claystone in Arita and started to make porcelain wares for the first time in Japan.