Yi Sam-pyeong  Yi Sam-pyeong (died 1655), or Kanagae Sanbee () in historical sources, was a Japanese potter who is said to have moved from Korea. He is often considered the father of Arita ware porcelain, although the narrative is today questioned by historians. He is honored in Sueyama Shrine of Arita as the father of Arita ware, the earliest Japanese porcelain, from which a large industry rapidly grew. Although there is no doubt that Kanagae Sanbee actually existed, almost no contemporary source mentions him. The story of "Yi Sam-pyeong" as seen today was gradually developed by the late 19th century by various parties with various intentions. As an example, here is introduced the story presented by Kanagae Sanbee XIV, a descendant of Kanagae Sanbee concerned. Toyotomi Hideyoshi's campaign against Korea (1592–98) triggered great progress in Japanese pottery as hundreds of artisans were brought to Japan to encourage technological development. Yi Sam-pyeong is one of the best known potters from Korea. According to some records of the Kanagae family, he lived for a short period of time in the town of Saga, which was ruled by Nabeshima Naoshige, the de facto founder of the Saga Domain in Kyushu. He was then given to Taku Yasutoshi, the ruler of Taku in central Saga, where he started a pottery but did not succeed. He searched for kaolin, and eventually in 1616 he discovered a kaolin deposit on the Izumi Mountain in Arita, effectively starting the porcelain industry in Japan. For his achievements, he was allowed to take the Japanese name Kanagae Sanbee after his home town Geumgang. The popular narrative was questioned by the Japanese historian Nakamura Tadashi in 1992. The stories of founding fathers of early modern pottery including Yi Sam-pyeong's are not confirmed by contemporary sources but were formed as late as the second half of the 18th century. Komiya Kiyora further analyzed the origin of the narrative, largely dismissing it. No contemporary Korean source mentioned him. In fact, historical sources, all in Japanese, never refer to him as Yi Sam-pyeong. The alleged Korean name was coined in the late 19th century, as described below. No contemporary source claims that he was hunted for his talent during the Korean campaign, or even that he took part in pottery in Korea.