1616 / arita japan
Launched in 2012, 1616 / arita japan is a Japanese ceramics brand best known for its tableware designs that combine Asian handicraft traditions with influences from European culture. The brand name 1616 / arita japan might seem curious at first, so let us tell you the story behind it: the first part, 1616, refers to the year when Koreans first brought the art of pottery to Japan. Arita, in turn, is a town on Kyushu Island in southern Japan, where the Korean ceramists landed and where they introduced making pottery to the Japanese. So, in a nutshell, the name refers not only to the brand’s own origins but the origins of Japanese ceramics in general!