The first Japanese porcelains were painted with underglaze cobalt blue, known as "old blue-and-white" ware (ko-sumetsuke). But by about 1640, overglaze enamels had been added to the palette. It is generally accepted that overglaze enamels were introduced to Kyushu from Kyoto rather than from China. One reason for this assumption is the use of a vibrant overglaze blue--seen here on this wine bottle--in both Kyoto ware and Japanese porcelains, a color not found in Chinese ceramics of that period.

The majority of Japanese porcelains are classified as Arita wares, based on the location of their production. Arita wares are traditionally subdivided into Imari, Kakiemon, and Nabeshima styles (although this system is currentlyunder revision). This bottle is characteristic of Kakiemon wares--named for the artisan who was once thought to have originated their style of decoration. Kakiemon wares have a lighter palette than Imari or Nabeshima, with pale blues, greens, yellows, and reds predominating. The compositions of the paintings are sparser; the motifsare more isolated and centered on two or more sides of a vessel rather than covering the entire surface; and the quality of the clay and glaze differs. The bodies of most Kakiemon-style wares are a warm, milky white, called nigoshide, and are considered the whitest porcelains produced in East Asia. In addition, Kakiemon wares tend to be more finely potted than other wares, and it seems likely that they were among the most expensive items produced at Arita.

On this wine bottle, two birds perch on a rock before a flowering chrysanthemum. The fantastic rock is probably intended to represent a Taihu rock, found near Lake Tai in China and often used in Chinese garden designs and depicted in Chinese art. The birds are rather awkwardly painted, in the trademark Kakiemon palette, with very full chests, a type that appears frequently in the decoration of Kakiemon-style wares. The disproportionately large flowering plants are also a hallmark of this style.

Only one of the kilns known to have been active around Arita is identified with the production of the nigoshide body of many Kakiemon wares. This kiln, located in the northeast side of the Nangawara Valley, issometimes identified as the Kakiemon kiln. Evidence from its excavation suggests that it did not begin production until c. 1670/80, substantially later than most of the many kilns active in the Arita region. However, a few examples of the nigoshide body have been found at other sites, such as an earlier kiln at Otaru, and it is now thought that this body must also have been developed prior to the founding of the Kakiemon kiln.