The Kyushu Ceramic Museum

EXHIBITION

The Permanent Exhibition

History of Arita Ware (Exhibition Room 1)

perm_ROOM5.png

This room introduces masterpieces of Arita ware with visual images and spatial design.
Viewers can enjoy a diverse range of stories behind the Arita ware while visiting rooms with different themes, such as history and culture.

>>Newly Renovated Permanent Exhibition Room in April, 2022

perm_kannbara.png

The Kanbara Collection

The Kanbara Collection was a gift given to the town of Arita by the late Kanbara Hakaru (1896-1987), who was an honorary citizen of Arita Town. In the autumn of 1974, Mr. Kanbara visited various locations across Europe to gather exported Ko-Imari and create this magnificent collection at his own expense.

Old Ceramics of Kyushu (Exhibition Room 3)

In this room, the viewer is introduced to old ceramic ware produced all over Kyushu. Included are works from Saga Prefecture, such as Ko-garatsu (old Karatsu ware), Shoki-Imari (Early Imari ware), and porcelain produced in the Kakiemon style and at the Nabeshima official kiln. Also included are Kameyama ware, Utsutsugawa ware and Hirado ware from Nagasaki Prefecture, Takatori ware, Agano ware, Sue ware from Fukuoka Prefecture, Oda ware, Shodai ware, Yatsushiro ware from Kumamoto Prefecture, Onta ware from Oita Prefecture, Horaisan (Maruyama) ware from Miyazaki Prefecture, Ryūmonji ware, Naeshirogawa ware from Kagoshima Prefecture and Tsuboya ware from Okinawa Prefecture. The viewer can enjoy a wide range of different old ceramics made in Kyushu.

Contemporary Ceramics Art of Kyushu (Exhibition Room 4)

Various works made by ceramic artists representing each prefecture in Kyushu, including the preservers of important intangible cultural property (Living National Treasures), artists who have been selected 10 or more times for the Nitten Exhibition (the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition), and members of the Japan Art Academy and the Japan Kōgei Association, are exhibited in this room. Saga Prefecture has the largest display followed by Fukuoka Prefecture then Nagasaki Prefecture, etc. The display has been organized by the prefecture, allowing the viewer to appreciate the diverse production techniques and characteristics of each region. Included are ceramics for the tea ceremony, works in a traditional style, household ceramics, avant-garde items, and so forth.

General Exhibition Room (Exhibition Room 5)

This exhibition room is composed of general exhibition space for exhibitions held by external organizations and a tea ceremony room. The tea ceremony room may not be open to viewers when the exhibition room is closed or due to other circumstances.

The Mr. & Mrs. Shibata Collection (Exhibition Room 2)

This collection was generously donated to this museum by Akihiko Shibata and Yuko Shibata. It centers on Arita porcelain produced during the 17th century to the 19th century, and through this extensive collection, the viewer can see representative types and the changes in style of Arita porcelain over time. About 1,000 works out of the 10,311 pieces collection are regularly exhibited and rotated once a year.