Located at Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan, Karatsu has a historical importance as an ancient trading port between China and Korea. It has been a center for pottery production since the Azuchi-Momoyama era. The name of the ceramic pottery produced in here derives from this province. Karatsu ceramic pottery has been developed as a result of the endeavors of pottery artisans arrived from Korea during the Japanese invasion of Korea by the end of 16th Century and the early 17th Century and the ceramic pottery of the era has been produced with the Korean style and new techniques adopted. The initial production of the ceramics of the era was limited with only the tools for daily use such as tableware, pots, jars and other household goods. In later periods, tea pots were produced for tea ceremonies. The aim of the study is to emphasize the importance of Karatsu ceramics in traditional Japanese ceramics by examining the technical features of Traditional Karatsu ceramics, kiln structures and historical development process with examples.

Keywords: Karatsu, Karatsu ceramics, Japanese ceramics