Named after its origins, 1616 / arita japan products are produced in the same factories as the original Arita pottery.

Aritayaki, a kind of Japanese pottery, finds its roots in the ancient ceramics town of Arita located on Kyushu Island in southern Japan. 1616 was the year when the Koreans first introduced the art of pottery to Japan. Up to today Arita still produces ceramics made by local craftsmen using the distinctive ingredient of clay made from crushed stone. Inspired by the profound experience and skills of local Arita craftsmen, designer and creative director Teruhiro Yanagihara developed a completely new ceramics brand for Momota-Touen Corporation.

Teruhiro Yanagihara, the creative director of 1616 / Arita Japan, designed the “Standard” series and invited Dutch designers Scholten & Baijings to develop the “Colour Porcelain” series. Both contributions throw new light on Japanese tradition, mixing Asian craftsmanship with European culture. While Teruhiro Yanagihara experiments with clay and usage of the pottery, Scholten & Baijings emphasize the dialogue between applied art and everyday use by means of color and form. In 2018, French designer Pierre Charpin fused the traditional shape born from the 400-year history of Arita porcelain, modern sense, and cutting-edge technology, "1616 / PC Outline," series has been added as a collection.