Celadon
Celadon is pottery glazed in a pale green meant to recall jade, the most valued material in China. The ware was made in China for centuries before the term existed; the word celadon itself is European. In Japanese it is seiji.
Definition
Celadon names both wares glazed in the jade-green colour, which specialists now call greenware, and the transparent glaze, often finely crackled, first used on them. The colour comes from a glaze containing a little iron oxide, between about 0.75 and 2.5 per cent, fired at high temperature in a reducing kiln; too little iron gives blue, too much gives olive and then black. Finer pieces are porcelain, but the colour can be made in stoneware and earthenware.
Origin
Celadon originated in China, and the Longquan kilns in Zhejiang are the best known. Longquan celadon was exported across East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East from the 13th to the 15th century. For many centuries the Chinese court valued celadon highly, until painted wares, above all the new blue and white porcelain of the Yuan dynasty, replaced it in fashion; later celadon in China often consciously revived older styles. In Korea, the celadon of the Goryeo period, 918 to 1392, is regarded as the classic Korean ware. Celadon reached Japan in the Song period, from China and through Korea, but Japanese potters long avoided it because losses in firing could reach 80 per cent; Japanese taste has often favoured the bluish-white seihakuji glaze.
Key facts
| Japanese name | Seiji |
|---|---|
| Colour | Iron oxide in the glaze, fired in a reducing kiln |
| Best-known kilns | Longquan, Zhejiang |
| Korean classic | Goryeo celadon, 918 to 1392 |
| Export | Longquan wares, 13th to 15th century |
How to identify it
- The colour. From blue-green to olive; the shade follows the iron in the glaze and the firing.
- The crackle. A network of fine cracks is common and often intended.
- The body. Porcelain, stoneware or earthenware, seen at the foot.
- China, Korea or Japan. In our handling, we name the country only where the piece reads clearly, and we mark later work in an older manner as such.
Celadon in Japan
Japanese celadon has a difficult history. Kaolin, the clay used for porcelain, is not found in Japan in the quantities it is in China; one source is Amakusa in Kyushu. With losses in firing that could reach 80 per cent, most Japanese potters avoided the green glaze, and a small number of modern artists who mastered it have been acclaimed for the quality and colour they achieved. In China, the imperial kilns making Longquan celadon were closed in the mid-15th century, when the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen became supreme. In our reading, this is why so much celadon in Japanese hands is Chinese or Korean, and why a fine Japanese piece is worth reading closely for its maker.
Where it appears in the collection
Examples include a tall celadon Guanyin riding a sea dragon, with crackle, a Goryeo-style celadon ewer by Yu Hae-gang and a Japanese seiji porcelain horse okimono. See also our guide to karamono.
Related entries
- Sometsuke: the blue and white that replaced celadon in fashion
- Tenmoku: the dark-glazed tea bowl
- Karamono: the Chinese goods Japan prized
Sources
- Celadon, encyclopaedia entry, for the definition, the glaze chemistry, Longquan, export, the Chinese court, Goryeo celadon and Japanese seiji, kaolin and Amakusa. wikipedia.org
- Jingdezhen porcelain, encyclopaedia entry, for the closure of the Longquan imperial kilns. wikipedia.org
Last reviewed 15 November 2026. The Japonista Curation and Concierge Team, Tokyo, Japan.