Since ancient times, Korea has been famous for its ceramics. In fact, while many travelers visit Japan for its pottery, they often overlook the reality that Japanese ceramics, which spread north through Japan via its southern island of Kyushu, was actually “introduced” from Korea. Honestly, “introduced” is too mild a term. When the Japanese invaded Korea during the 16th Century, they abducted the great Korean potters and forced them to work in Japan. One Korean potter taken to Japan at this time was referred as “the god of pottery.” Korea's great Ri Sam-pyeong, known in Japan as Kanegae Sampei, actually established the world famous pottery village in Arita, Japan, near Fukuoka City. Yi was originally from the Geum River Basin in Korea. As recently as 1990, a memorial was set up at the entrance to Donghaksa Buddhist Temple in Gongju, South Korea, with the inscription paid for by the people of Arita, Japan.
