The porcelain was very popular among the Japanese ceramics in the period from the 17th century to the 19th century for its highest quality. It caught the attention of the visitors in "International Fairs" held in France and Austria in the 19th century and was exported even to Europe to win popularity.

The "White Satsuma" imitating the white porcelain of Ri Dynasty was made by Pak Phyong Ui, a famous Korean ceramist.

It was described in the short true story "I cannot forget my hometown" (transcribed from Korean) written by Ryotaro Shiba, a famous historical novelist of Japan.

The story was based on the itinerary of Nangei Tachibana, a noted medical doctor and scholar of Japan in the middle ages.

Pak Phyong Ui was one of the ceramists kidnapped in the Namwon Castle (then) in Jolla Province by gangsters of Yoshihiro Shimazu, lord of Satsuma (present Kagoshima Prefecture in southwest Kyushu), during the Imjin Patriotic War (1592-1598) against Japanese invaders.

Yoshihiro Shimazu forced the kidnapped 70-odd Korean ceramic craftsmen to survey of clay, the raw material of ceramics. Pak Phyong Ui and his son Pak Jong Yong, who were versed in ceramic technique, discovered the white clay essential to ceramic production and made the "White Satsuma".

The Korean ceramists taken to Japan built kilns in remote places and were forced to manufacture porcelain for scores of years or generation after generation under humiliation and insult. Hundreds of kiln sites came into being throughout Japan at that time and later turned into hubs of porcelain production in Japan.

In Satsuma alone a street consisted of dwelling houses of Koreans and there existed 17 surnames. Therefore, people in Satsuma called the street Koma Street (Koryo Street). Though hundreds of years have passed since then, the song for the memorial service is sung and technical terms used at the kiln sites are still spoken in Korean.

"Arita-yaki", "hagi-yaki", "agano-yaki" and other ceramics famous in Japan were also manufactured by the Korean porcelain artisans kidnapped to Japan during the war.

The porcelain culture of Japan is the one entirely based on stealing and kidnapping unprecedented in history.