Mikawachi porcelain 三川内焼

Mikawachi ware is porcelain made in Mikawachi Town, Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture, and is also known as Hirado ware. It is believed that Mikawachi ware started in the Azuchi Momoyama period, when Shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi took back a talented potter back to Japan during the Imjin War, and had him establish a kiln in Japan.One of the characteristics of Mikawachi ware is its translucent white color. At first, the potters were not able to find good materials on Hirado Island, so they had to go search in various places, and ended up in Mikawachi. Around 1670, they discovered a white