Japanese Painted Ceramics

Eitsuke (絵付け) is the collective term for techniques of painting designs or patterns onto the surface of a ceramic piece — whether bisque-fired or glazed — using pigments or special glazes. Within Japan's traditional ceramics world, eitsuke has flourished particularly in the realm of porcelain (jiki): Arita ware (有田焼), Kutani ware (九谷焼), Kyo-yaki (京焼 — Kyoto ceramics), and others. For the characteristics of painted ceramics, please see below.

Japanese Pottery Patterns Guide: Traditional Motifs & Painted Ceramics Techniques

Sometsuke (染付) is an underglaze painting technique in which designs are drawn onto a white porcelain body using a cobalt-bearing mineral pigment called gosu (呉須). A transparent glaze is then applied over the design, and the piece is fired at high temperature. After firing, the areas painted with gosu develop a vivid indigo blue, creating a beautiful contrast against the white of the porcelain. Sometsuke has its origins in China's seika (青花 — blue-and-white porcelain), and in Japan it developed rapidly from the early 17th century alongside the start of porcelain production in Arita (present-day Saga Prefecture), becoming the defining style of Imari ware (伊万里焼) and Hasami ware (波佐見焼).