Japanese ceramics in the national museum of Malaysia: a historical overview
This study offers a historical overview of Japanese ceramics within the collection of the National Museum of Malaysia, highlighting their unique cultural and historical significance in contrast to the more extensively studied Chinese ceramics. Drawing upon archival research, interviews with muse...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2025
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25999/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25999/1/Arkeologi_38_2_2.pdf |
| Summary: | This study offers a historical overview of Japanese ceramics within the collection of the National
Museum of Malaysia, highlighting their unique cultural and historical significance in contrast to the
more extensively studied Chinese ceramics. Drawing upon archival research, interviews with museum
curators, and existing literature, the research reveals that Japanese ceramics in Malaysia are relatively
rare and often linked to colonial-era acquisitions rather than direct historical trade between Japan and
the Malay Peninsula. The study contextualizes the presence of these ceramics within the broader
framework of maritime trade networks in East and Southeast Asia, particularly during the seventeenth
to nineteenth centuries, when political shifts such as the Ming Dynasty’s trade bans enabled Japan’s
emergence as a key ceramic exporter. Furthermore, the research discusses how colonial collecting
practices and knowledge production influenced the acquisition and interpretation of Japanese
ceramics in Malaysian museums. This overview contributes to filling the scholarly gap on Japanese
ceramics in Malaysia and invites further study into their historical trajectories and cultural meanings
within Southeast Asian contexts. |
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