Her descendants, with love and respect, called herBaekpasun
本名ですら、定かではない。子孫は敬愛の念を込めて、こう呼んだ。百婆仙。
In the same age as Yi Sam-pyeong, the celebrated father of Arita ware, there lived a woman.
At the end of the 1500s she crossed from Korea, taught several hundred potters in Kyushu, and gave herself to the founding of Arita ware. Yet her name was buried in the long course of history and hardly passed from mouth to mouth. No documents survive. Even her real name is not certain.
Having survived the Japanese invasion of Korea, she crossed the rough Genkai Sea with her husband Jongjeon and landed at Takeo. Under the protection of Goto Ienobu, lord of Takeo, she fired pottery at Uchida. After her husband’s death, at around seventy she led her family to Arita and, never returning home, became a leader of many potters in the making of Arita ware.
Gentle in appearance and long-lived, she was called by her descendants, with love and respect, Baekpasun. At Hōonji Temple the memorial pagoda raised by her great-grandson still stands.
In February 2016, four hundred years after the founding of Arita porcelain and three hundred and sixty years after her death, we opened Gallery Baekpasun and the Japan-Korea Friendship Hall Baekpasun to honour her memory and to deepen the bond between Japan and Korea that she wove.
I序The Story of BaekpasunFrom the invasion of 1592 to Arita. The full story and chronology, the memorial statue and her hometown Gimhae.
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II図版WorksPlates 1 to 9 and how to buy: at the gallery, online, at the ceramics fairs.
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NagasakiNakahara Maki中原 真希Graduate of Joshibi University of Art and Design. Studied under Terui Ichigen of Takegama, Arita. Opened the studio Ichida in Omura in 2008. Porcelain from Amakusa stone.→
NagasakiSato Megumi佐藤 恵Everyday vessels such as the free cup and plate with a white cat.→
SagaNoh Jinju盧 眞珠Master’s in ceramics, Musashino Art University. Underglaze and overglaze techniques at the Saga Arita College of Ceramics. Grand Prize, Nagasaki Ceramics Exhibition 2010. Head of Jinju Ceramics Studio and deputy director of the gallery.→
AritaNishida Yuka西田 ゆかCracks and texture, layered with the Japanese sense of wabi-sabi.→
KoreaPyon Kyuri卞 圭里Master’s in ceramics, Konkuk University. Doctorate in ceramic pigments, Myongji University. Director of the Suju Ceramics Institute.→
NagasakiOokuma Mika大隈 美佳Graduate school of Musashino Art University. Award of Excellence, Japan Craft Exhibition 2001. Solo shows at Matsuya Ginza and elsewhere.→
III作家ArtistsSix artists, their biographies, studios and social media. Nagasaki, Saga, Arita, Korea.
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IV記録Exhibitions and ExchangeFrom the opening in 2016 to the international exchange exhibition of 2025, with photographs.
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A gallery in the style of an old house, showing and selling work mainly by women artists active in Japan and Korea. Opened in February 2016, four hundred years after the founding of Arita porcelain.
Available for solo and group exhibitions and seminars in a calm, nostalgic setting. Display stands and fixtures on request.
| Availability | Outside the spring and autumn ceramics fairs |
|---|---|
| Fee and period | On request |
| Facilities | Display stands and fixtures, parking, guesthouse next door |
Some exhibitions may not be accepted depending on their content.
A converted house next to the gallery, let to one group or one family at a time. Close to Arita Station and a good base for walking the pottery town. Also available for gatherings, events and workshops.
| Baekpasun Room | Eight-mat Japanese room with veranda. Small kitchen, shower room, washbasin. Up to 4 guests |
|---|---|
| Gimhae Room | Fourteen-mat wooden-floored room (floor heating). Bunk bed and two single beds. Kitchen, bath, washbasin, washing machine. Up to 6 guests |
| Facilities | Kitchen, bath, photocopier, Wi-Fi |
The railway is close by; trains pass once or twice an hour. Licence: Saga Prefecture No. 27 Ihofuku 10.
V館Gallery and GuesthouseFloor plan, rental terms, rooms, booking on Airbnb.
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