Ceramic art of Japan

Ceramics, the traditional art of hands, clay and fire, began with the making of earthenware. Korean and Chinese influences can be traced in the history of Japanese ceramics but were modified by the existing traditions of the Japanese craftsmen. Exquisite work includes some dating from the ninth century, a tenth century jar with a beautiful ash-blown glaze; tea ceremony bowls of porcelain with plum blossom being used as a popular motif.