Tea bowl with purple glaze, White Satsuma Ware

In the 19th century Western powers such as the British empire and France began to arrive in Japan by ship. Sensing crisis and pressure from the outside world, feudal lord Shimazu Nariakira (in office 1851-58) took lead to become the first in Japan to promote the “Shūseikan undertakings” of modernization using the latest western techniques and technologies. Sensing the arrival of an era where Japan would trade with foreign nations, Nariakira began working on improving paint to make Satsuma ware suitable for trading. He succeeded in creating pigments that were once only available overseas, while improving on the creation of gold, silver and purple pigments, achieving outstandingly vibrant colours.