Guerlain celebrates the art of Arita’s porcelain with its limited edition of its iconic fragrance Mitsouko

Arita, the epicenter of porcelain industry

Located in Saga prefecture on Kyûshû Island in southern Japan, Arita thanks to its kaolin mine, quickly became the epicenter for the Japanese porcelain industry. Introduced by Yi Sam-Pyeong, a Korean craftsman in 1616, the porcelain from Arita also known as Aritaware or Aritayaki flourished for centuries.

Today, one of Arita’s oldest and largest-scale operating kilns is Yazaemon Kiln. Fonded in 1804 by Matsumoto Yazaemon I, Yazaemon Kiln has produced through seven generations countless pieces of art. Using its ever evolving techniques inherited from past generations, highly skilled craftsmen create porcelain pieces. Through variations of colors and textures, each porcelain piece expresses the beauty of Japanese seasons. Yazaemon Kiln recently changed its name for Arita Porcelain Lab.

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Kyokujitsu Kisshoumon Vase created by Yazaemon VII in 13 weeks.

Mitsouko Aritayaki

This year, Guerlain and Arita Porcelain Lab celebrated the 400^th anniversary of Arita’s porcelain. The Guerlain’s House on 68th Champs-Elysées boulevard turned into a Japanese garden in order to welcome Arita Porcelain Lab exhibit (from 17^th November 2016 to 7^th January 2017, on the first floor).

For this occasion, Arita Porcelain Lab designed a porcelain vessel for Guerlain’s iconic fragrance Mitsouko. This is a limited edition and there are only 500 units.

 “The design of Mitsouko Aritayaki is based on a rising sun motif, which has long expressed “clear skies” and been used on auspicious occasions and the like. Within a design featuring the sun’s rays extending in all directions, it presents a motif scattered with symbols of good luck long conveyed in Aritayaki motifs, such as paulownia to represent elegance; plums, considered a symbol of life; tree peony, which removes negative vibes; and chrysanthemum, representing longevity. Its style is both classical and modern.” – Alena Chudakova.