The first true porcelain likely appeared in China during the Tang dynasty, 618-907 AD. The popularity of porcelain increased in China and eventually spread to the country's neighbors. Korean porcelain first appeared in the 1100s, and Japanese porcelain arrived around the 1500s.
Celadon ceramics first appeared in the seventh century, but developed further into the Song dynasty, 960-1280 AD, and further still in the fourteenth century. Celadon refers to a green glaze made of wood ash and iron that, when applied skillfully, looks like jade. Chinese white porcelain began during the Song dynasty, 960-1279 AD. A specific type of white porcelain called "qingbai" had a jade-like texture with a light green-blue tint. Underglaze blue porcelain first appeared in China during the Yuan dynasty, 1127-1279 AD, but grew in popularity during the Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD. These pieces have a layer of blue cobalt oxide painted under the surface of the glaze, creating a memorable blue and white design. Black iron oxide painted beneath a glaze produced underglaze black porcelain. This technique, though slightly older, never gained as much notoriety as its blue counterpart. In the Qing dynasty, 1644-1911, porcelain featured highly detailed scenes painted in bright colors.
While pottery and ceramics existed in Korea for thousands of years prior, Korean porcelain first appeared during the Goryeo era, 918-1392 AD. In general, most ceramics during the era featured a celadon glaze, which Korean potters perfected during this era. The highest acclaimed pieces of porcelain from this era had a graceful, curvy shape and a subdued blue-green color. Standard white porcelain reached the height of its popularity during the Joseon era, 1392-1910 AD. Initially, Joseon white porcelain had an all-white appearance with simple, graceful patterns. Some early white porcelain actually had a faint blue tint, however, and during the time of King Sejong, 1418-1450 AD, a few rare instances of underglazed blue and white porcelain also appeared.
Kakiemon porcelain appeared in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The name comes from a specific family of Japanese porcelain decorators and refers to any piece that originated during their time, using their methods. Kakiemon style porcelain featured a white background with painted pictures of flowers and figures in azure, yellow, turquoise and red. Imari porcelain refers to pieces that originated from a Japanese harbor near the city of Arita. Ceramic pieces in this style start with white ceramic and a blue underglaze. Over this, red, gilt and green enamels called "aka-e" decorate the surface in elaborate designs. For a brief period between 1650-1690 AD, Kutani porcelain--a coarse, gray porcelain--appeared. The pieces generally had a rustic, imperfect appearance adorned with bold, dark colors applied with a large brush in spontaneous designs.