1. Earthenware
It is shaped with clay, without glaze, and fired at a low temperature of about 700 to 800 degrees Celsius. The earthenware has a crisp texture and water absorption of more than 10%, but because of its high fire resistance, they are suitable for cooking and storage. Examples of earthenware include Chinese red pottery, painted pottery, and Japanese Jomon pottery and Yayoi pottery. Although there are some differences between earthenware and pottery, in China, even with the above-mentioned characteristics, these earthenware are usually called "pottery".
2. Stoneware
Stoneware refers to objects formed from clay and fired at a high temperature of 1,200 to 1,300 degrees Celsius. In European and American countries, regardless of whether there is glaze or not, such hard objects with a non-white carcass are collectively called stoneware, which also includes celadon. In Japan, stoneware mainly refers to unglazed high-temperature ceramics made by kilns such as Bizen, Shigaraki, and Tokoname.
3. Pottery
The pottery is formed by using pottery clay containing glass or silicic acid and fired at about 800-900°C to 1200°C after glazing. The finished pottery is quite hard. In Japan, the broad classification of pottery includes high-temperature ceramics such as Sueki, Bizen, Shigaraki, and Tokoname.
4. Porcelain
It is shaped from porcelain clay with high silicic acid content and fired at a high temperature of about 1300 degrees Celsius after glazing. The finished glaze and the object are similar to glassware, with excellent light transmittance and water absorption falling at about 0.5%, making a crisp sound when struck. The character"瓷" was sometimes used in Chinese history to refer to the products produced by Cizhou Kiln in Hebei Province.