Wares from the Arita factories in Japan, decorated in blue and enamel colours from the late seventeenth century onwards, have come to be known as 'Imari' wares, after the name of the port through which they were traded. The Royal Collection contains a substantial group of such objects, including some rare animal models.

These brightly-coloured pastille burners are in the forms of hares, which had been adopted into Japanese mythology from China. The hare is associated with the moon, where it was thought to assist in preparing the elixir of immortality.