About six miles south of Japan's ceramic center of Arita, lies Hirado Island in the northwestern part of Nagasaki Prefecture, home of the Matsura family and also the Mikawachi, or Hirado kilns that produced, according to experts, some of the finest white porcelains the world has ever known.Its location near the Korean Peninsula was responsible for the settlement of Korean potters who were the spoils of a Japanese invasion in the late 16th century. Almost immediately, Korean style kilns were set up to produce stoneware. Japan lacked the technology to produce porcelains, but when kaolin, the basic ingredient in porcelain was discovered in Mikawachi village in the mid 17th century, very high quality porcelain was produced under the complete control of the Matsura feudal lords. For nearly a hundred years, from 1751 until 1843, all products from the kilns belonged to the Matsura family, but with the disintegration of Japan's feudal system in the mid 19th century, financial support for the enterprise waned and export contracts were established with the Dutch East India Company. Hirado ware was highly prized by Victorian Europe and demand for products exploded. Great international expositions of the late 19th century showcased the exquisite quality of Hirado, but modern industrialization contributed to the decline of Hirado and the kilns were permanently closed in the early 20th century. This 19th century Hirado bisque cat sits with its eyes closed, possibly sound asleep. Meticulous attention has been paid to the sublime facial expression, the anatomically precise body, and the animal's fur, which looks almost natural. It sits 9-1/2 inches tall and is incised with the Hirado mark into the base. Minor flea bite to tip of left ear.