Projects

Aiming to create new value, people from the Imari and Arita porcelain production areas and external experts will gather at the Arita Value Creation Lab to exchange views. We will hold seminars, workshops, and research conferences to discuss the concerns of our production areas from the perspectives of “techniques,” “design,” and “management,” and consider the future of our production areas.

The Dutch East India Company once played a significant role in the development of Arita porcelain, and once again Arita joins hands across the oceans with Holland. We are now pleased to welcome Teruhiro Yanagihara, who continues borderless activities, as the creative director, and the Dutch design duo Scholten & Baijings as co-directors. With this new team, we have started monozukuri * through a collaboration of 16 groups of designers, and 16 porcelain producers and trading companies. By holding residential workshops, we will aim to make a mecca for creators from around the world, and establish a monozukuri and business platform.

Just as transplanting a tree can encourage vigorous growth, there are many products that when moved to a new milieu are revitalized. Their allure suddenly becomes more apparent when we change where or how we display them. We will consider new means of expansion making full use of the now dormant or hidden charms of our beautiful ceramics and new ways of offering them to people who really appreciate ARITA, and thus help revitalize the Japanese market.
We also support porcelain producers who aim to improve their business management and worksites, and by building on successful examples, we will spread such positive effects throughout the production area.

It is the profound depth and warmth of traditional crafts that attracts those who appreciate them. We plan to further develop and pass on to future generations the skills refined over many centuries by our predecessors as a living cultural heritage. With this concept, contemporary creators of traditional crafts in the cities of Arita and Imari, and across Japan will be united beyond the framework of existing production centers and the divisions found between different types of business, and through this new collaboration we will revive our traditional crafts.

Along with the Japanese food boom overseas, in recent years sake (rice wine) has increasingly been drawing attention, and the Saga region’s locally brewed sake has also been highly praised and is gaining in popularity abroad. As a production area of sake drinking sets and located in this renowned brewing region, we are designing new sake cup series to enhance the delicious flavor of Saga’s sakes and spread the joy of sake and the beauty of ARITA sake cups across Japan and the world.

The Maison et Objet is a Paris trade fair for interior and product designs held every year in January and September. The event is the source of many new lifestyle trends and regularly attracts world attention. Over the next three years from 2014, in collaboration with Kiyoyuki Okuyama, a global player on the design scene, several new ARITA series will make their debut at the Maison et Objet. These new designs will be introduced to the world at this prestigious showcase of the European lifestyle market.

In 1616 Japan’s first porcelain was born in Arita; the pale clay full of grace and beauty was converted into a variety of living utensils including containers and vessels, which brought about a complete change of lifestyle and culture in Japan; in addition, such fine porcelain objects were much appreciated overseas, especially in Europe. In the Meiji period, through international expositions held in many countries, the splendid Arita porcelain and the advanced techniques that produced such beauty earned much praise. Today’s porcelain producers, setting their sights even higher than the traditional artisans of the past, are creating the new ARITA porcelain. The project will introduce the rich 400-year-old history and culture of Arita porcelain, and inform the wider public of the magnificence and beauty of Arita porcelain both within Japan and abroad.

What kinds of tableware are the professional and top-class chefs looking for? Ceramic businesses in the Arita porcelain production area gather together to practically develop their ability to exhibit this superb porcelain at international trade fairs, conduct research and develop new products, and help cultivate the market. In addition, by holding Academy sessions where top-class chefs from Japan and abroad present their own culinary theories, methods, and uses for tableware, we will create a mecca for the very best chefs seeking ARITA for professional use.

Arita is a “great” production area of pottery and ceramic ware with a 400 year history. Using smaller items such as small plates as stepping-stones, we will introduce the Arita region’s attractive porcelain, and those porcelain producers who are determined to meet the challenge of the modern market.
ARITA SELECTION will increase the number of new admirers of Arita porcelain, and bring increased publicity for our enthusiastic porcelain producers to help further motivate them. In addition, the charm of this 400-year-old monozukuri * town will attract many visitors and potential ARITA converts to this porcelain production area.

Saint-Germain-des-Pres in Paris is a district renowned for its stylish and fashionable crowd. Based in this area, our local staff are keen to quietly introduce and explain the history and attractiveness of Arita porcelain along with its traditional philosophy and ideas. In small intimate meetings, they gather precious nuggets of information concerning present trends and fascinations, or simply discover how people decide value. Such material forms the basis of invaluable archives, which will help guide and develop products for overseas; they are the “seeds” of future ARITA designs and approaches.

At the EXPO Milano 2015, held under the theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life” we will offer visitors the opportunity to experience ARITA in the Japanese restaurant in the Japan Pavilion; ARITA will perfectly complement the exquisite cuisine. We will also promote the Saga region with a focus on ARITA. The event will be a great way for visitors to celebrate with us on the eve of our 400th anniversary and enjoy this introduction to the magnificent culture of porcelain and ceramics so representative of Japan.

It is the skills of artisans with years of practice that gives the diamond-like sparkle to porcelain. Modern technology converts manual work into digital signals, enabling types of processing that would previously have been impossible. By developing advanced materials to bring out the hidden potential of porcelain clay, and challenging ourselves to achieve the highest standards of manufacturing we will make new functions and applications possible.

The Arita porcelain of today has been developed by an unbroken accumulation of techniques perfected over 400 years. To ensure a bright future for Arita porcelain, it is vital for us to again delve into the identity of Arita porcelain, which has been created throughout its long history. Toward the year 2016, we will conduct archaeological excavation and research of the Yanbeta Ruins, and reexamine the historical and academic values of Arita porcelain, and we are looking forward to sharing our new findings with the world.

ARITA supports the charm, the tastes, the excitement of food and drink from all over the world. In cooperation with a three-star restaurant in Paris, ARITA tableware and sake cups will enhance the cuisine and brighten the toasts of an array of events. Everyone will be there, connoisseurs and buyers, and journalists and celebrities all gathering together to celebrate and share the beauty of ARITA and spread the splendor of ARITA across the world.

In the 17th century Arita porcelain crossed the oceans as cargo buried deep in the holds of sailing ships, before being displayed in the finest palaces of Europe. In the 21st century, ARITA porcelain now travels first class adorning the finest in-flight meals created in collaboration with the world’s star chefs. ARITA tableware, both stylish and functional, graces passenger tables on international routes; crossing the skies this beautiful porcelain is spreading its wings across the world.

For the future development of the porcelain industry, it is essential to both hand down traditional techniques and also educate individuals to have a business and global perspective allowing them to play an active part in the global arena and initiate new approaches. Through the adoption of a four-year college course at Arita College of Ceramics based on a tie-up with Saga University, we will aim to create a center to develop next-generation creative ceramic artists and artisans, and young people with the marketing and business skills to successfully take ARITA into the next hundred years.

The Web has transcended physical distances and enabled easy and affordable two-way communication between more people than ever before. We will promote the introduction and practical use of “crowdfunding” and via the Web, seamlessly advertise the projects of the many businesses in the production areas. We will reveal hidden ARITA fans at home and abroad, and establish a system to invite potential supporters to fund monozukuri * in the Arita and Imari production areas, and promote sustainable innovation.