In the world of Japanese ceramics, certain styles have clearly defined identities that have been appreciated down the centuries. Mere mention of Bizen pottery will likely bring to mind a rustic, brown, natural ash-glazed style.

Such ideas and images are often fixed. So I got quite some surprise when I went to the current exhibition of Karatsu ware at the Nezu Institute of Fine Arts and was confronted with . . . large colorful plates. "The Little-Known Karatsu Wares of the Edo Period" introduces items that differ greatly from the subdued Momoyama Period tea works that we have, until now, thought of as characteristic Karatsu.

It was actually a big deal for the Nezu to take on this exhibition -- tea wares are considered art, but what is on display is regarded as mingei (folk craft). Not one for getting into semantic debates, I'll leave the art vs. craft issue to those who are tethered to the cerebral world. Regardless of definition, though, this exhibition contains pieces that are vibrant, prismatic and, at times, quite superb examples of Karatsu wares that graced the homes and banquet tables of lords and commoners alike throughout Japan and southeast Asia in the 17th century.