Jar with jakatsu (brown snakeskin pattern) glaze, Black Satsuma Ware

The history of Satsuma ware began in 1598, when some 70 potters from the Korean Peninsula were brought back to Satsuma by the Shimazu troops who had been dispatched to Korea under Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s campaign. These Korean potters settled and established kilns in three areas of Satsuma, namely Tateno in Kagoshima city, Naeshirogawa at Higashi’ichiki-chō in Hioki city, and Ryumonji at Kajikichō in Arira city. More kilns were also later built at Nishimochida (Aira city), Hirasa (Satsumasendai city) and Tanegashima (Kumage district), with wares characteristic of each area being created.