Antique Japanese Pottery

The first Japanese pottery belongs to the Jōmon period, dated tentatively to c.10,500–c. 300 BC is often regarded as one of the first decorative pottery pieces in existence; however, there is much deliberation on this. The era’s name, Jomon, refers to the typical patterns seen on the contemporary pottery, which was made unglazed and baked in large bonfires using a simple technique known as “noyaki”. It was not until the Kofun Period (300 AD to 538 AD) that firing techniques were further developed and covered kilns were used.

Early Japanese ceramics were either stoneware or earthenware. Earthenware was fired at lower temperatures but was typically porous if left unglazed, while stoneware was fired at higher temperatures and yielded vessels that were non-porous and required no further glazing to make them waterproof.

Within our Antique Japanese Pottery collection at Jacksons Antique, you will find an exclusive selection of objects from Vases to Figures in Satsuma Wears to Banko Wears, dating generally from the Edo period (1603-1868) through the Meiji period (1868-1912) and Tashio Period (1912-1926) to the early Showa period (1926-1989).