Tuesday 6 May 2014
6:00pm – 7:00pm

Arita Porcelain and the Chelsea Flower Show: 400 years of History

Drinks reception from 7:00pm

13/14 Cornwall Terrace, Outer Circle, London NW1 4QP

Organised by The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation

The town of Arita in Saga prefecture is one of the most famous centres for Japanese porcelain. Dating its production back to 1616, it will celebrate its 400^th anniversary in 2016. Arita is small, with a population of just 20,000, but the first porcelain from Arita that was exported to Europe in the 17^th century was welcomed with enormous enthusiasm. From 1650, Arita porcelain was exported through the Dutch East India Company and became known as Imari ware, and was enjoyed throughout much of Europe. The porcelain, having travelled across the sea to Europe, became more highly treasured than gold, and was exported to various countries, having a major influence on European art and culture.

Yukio Suzuta, Director of the Kyushu Ceramic Museum, discussed the history of Arita porcelain. Shuko Noda, who is a garden designer, talked about his concept and objectives in introducing this historical ceramic ware into garden designs as a member of Team SAGA, an entry in the Artisan Division of the 2014 Chelsea Flower Show. Noda sees beauty and history from the past and also the eternity of Arita porcelain, and tries to incorporate these attributes into his gardens.

You can view the recording of the event here:

About the contributors

Yukio Suzuta

Yukio Suzuta is the Director of the Kyushu Ceramic Museum in Saga Prefecture, and is a native of the same prefecture. Suzuta completed a Masters degree at the Kyushu Institute of Design in 1979 and started his career at the Museum as a curator in 1980. As well as being a visiting lecturer at Kyushu Sangyo University, he is a regular contributor on ceramics in the Japanese media, specialising in Arita and Karatsu porcelain ware. He is the author of The Essence of Arita Porcelain: The Shibata Collection (Fudebako Magazine, no. 28), and wrote the accompanying catalogue to an exhibition called Imari: Japanese Porcelain for European Palaces, which is currently touring throughout Japan.

Shuko Noda

Shuko Noda is a garden designer who also hails from Saga prefecture. After graduating from university in 1995, Noda started his career in interior design, and became interested in garden design whilst learning about landscape architecture. He has studied the Ohara school of ikebana flower arranging, and worked under the tutelage of Kazuyuki Ishihara, who has won several awards at the Chelsea Flower Show. Noda is a frequent contributor to the Gardening World Cup, held every year in Nagasaki, both as competitor and as construction manager, supervising gardening teams from around the world. He will compete in the 2014 Chelsea Flower Show as part of Team Saga, whose entry aim to evoke Arita porcelain’s decorative style.