Production of porcelains began at Arita on a full-scale in 1616. In the 1640s, with the introduction of techniques from China, the Arita potters succeeded in producing polychrome overglaze enamelled porcelains. This large dish, a very early example of Arita overglaze enamels, dates from not long after that breakthrough. Its interior has a ground consisting of three linked hexagons, interlocking Buddhist swastikas, shippō-tsunagi interlocking circles, and pine needle roundels; over it, in the center, is painted a phoenix in flight, its wings outstretched. Its crest, divided into three bands, wattle, decorative feathers on its neck, bending to the rear, and other features carry on the Momoyama period style of depicting the phoenix. The outer side has straight plum branches in bloom arranged in the broken branch style all around it.