Imari

Imari, the beautiful and colorful Japanese porcelain is a very popular collectible today. It seems like everyone wants at least a touch of oriental design in their home. And the bright red orange and cobalt blue colors seem to go with so many decorating styles. If you haven’t considered collecting Japanese Imari porcelain, you need to at least think about it.

What Is Imari

Although Imari was fist produced in the early 1600’s, the most popular and plentiful Imari comes from the nineteenth century. As I said, it is a porcelain ware produced in Japan. It gets its name from the port of Imari in Japan, where it was shipped to all parts of the world, especially the European countries.

Originally, Imari was produced in only a blue color. But as production techniques improved the popular red orange and cobalt blue, as well as green and gold were added to the color palette.

Some English manufacturers also tried to produce some porcelain wares with the red orange and cobalt blue colors. But the Japanese Imari porcelain remains the most popular and is the easiest to find. When we shop in England, you can easily find Imari at any of the big markets. If you would like to find a more detailed article on the history of Imari, you can find it here.

Different Imari Pieces

The three  main Imari pieces that you will find are plates, bowls, and vases. The plates are the most popular and most plentiful. The easiest to find are plates, with the 8.5 inch size being the most plentiful. On the plates and chargers, be sure and examine them closely, many of them have tiny nicks around the rims where they have been displayed on the wall with wire hangers that did not have the plastic tips on them. Be sure your hangers have these plastic sleeves on them to prevent chipping.

Antique dealers often would ask me, what should we buy? If you have read other posts on this site, you know we took people on buying trips to England. So I would always tell them that we sell at least ten plates for every vase or bowl we sell. It is just so much easier to display plates. They can be hung on walls, placed in hanging plate racks, and also displayed on easel displays. A large Imari charger hung on a wall and surrounded by smaller plates makes a dramatic display.

Having said that, the Imari vases with the tops, which are harder to find with the tops, are quite striking. They come in all sorts of sizes, so you can make a very interesting grouping. And a grouping incorporating all of the different pieces and sizes can really add a touch of elegance to the top of a sideboard, table, or mantle.

Where to Find Imari

Depending on where you live, it can be very difficult to find Imari locally. You can always find Japanese Imari on EBay, Ruby Lane, and other antique internet sites. In my hometown, Dallas, a very European city when it comes to antiques, you can find Imari many places at quite competitive prices. But now that we are living in Alabama, it is much harder to find. That is the nest advantage of the internet, no matter where you live, as long as you can get a connection, you can literally shop around the world. This really helps if you love things that are not readily available where you are living.

When shopping online, be careful of reproductions. The Chinese have become experts in reproducing almost anything. Up until a few years ago, I had never seen an Imari plate in the shape of a fish. Then all of a sudden, they were everywhere. I looked on eBay and found several of them, all coming from China. I can’t tell the difference form the original and the reproductions, they are done very well. If this doesn’t bother you, that is fine. But now these are everywhere, so be careful. The same can be said for other unusual shaped dishes. It is a shame, but when anything becomes very valuable because of its scarcity,  someone will try to reproduce it. Just be as educated as you can, shop reputable dealers, and then make your own decisions. Below is a video of Imari showing more examples than I could show in the images, it also has a couple of Imari marks.

Here are some good reference books on Japanese Imari that you should find helpful:

I hoped you have read and seen enough to increase your interest in Imari. The next time you are out antiquing, keep your eyes out for some of the brightly colored Imari pieces.

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