Structural properties of the red-color overglaze for the HIZEN porcelains produced in the early Edo period of Japan

HIZEN porcelains made in 1650s to 1750s (early Edo period) in Arita areas sited in south Japan (SAGA) are famous Japanese porcelains, which are characterized by elegant and bright colors in the overglaze and the underglaze. Red-overglazes and transparent glazes of the HIZEN porcelains have been investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption spectra (XAS) using synchrotron radiation. The results suggest that the red-color brightness of the Hizen porcelains is mainly induced by micro-structural correlation between α-Fe2O3 fine particles of red-color emission element and the oxide complexes of SiO2–Al2O3–CaO–KNaO or SiO2 in the fritted overglazes. The stability of the red-color overglaze on the porcelain body of white-color results from interfacial fusion between both glass-states in the fritted overglaze and the transparent glaze coating the porcelain body. The refined local structures around Fe ions of the α-Fe2O3 structure taken EXAFS spectra give the technical and historical relation among four kinds of the HIZEN porcelains for fritted materials of the overglazes and thermal treatment at high-temperature in the porcelain kilns.