Celadon

The first blue celadon ware was said to be located in the kiln of a skillful worker during the Ying dynasty in the year 1600BC –1020BC. The worker, impressed by the beauty of the craft that came from his own hands, took the blue celadon to the Emperor.

The Emperor fell in love with the blue celadon and ordered the worker to produce more to use in the royal court. As the story goes, the worker was unable to come up with another blue celadon, and instead of facing the Emperor; he committed suicide by throwing himself into the kiln.

He was burnt, but a blue celadon emerged when the kiln was opened the next day. This started a legend that in order to achieve the celadon’s rich blue color, one had to sacrifice a life. According to the story, the worker’s burnt body in the kiln reduced the oxygen within and hence the blue celadon emerged.

The celadon ware originally belonged to the Chinese and grew in popularity as it was exported to distant continents like Africa. By the time celadon was imported to Japan, there was among the collection an original 7th century piece from the Horyuji Temple collection. It was a vase filled with aromatic clove.

The colors of celedon wares are of utmost importance to collectors and are developed by several things including the ash used in the glazing process and the method and procedure of applying the glaze.