Why did Japanese pottery decline toward the end of the Heian period?

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Japanese pottery Haniwa Garden of Heiwadai Park, Miyazaki, Japan.

Toward the end of the Heian period (794–1185), the art of Japanese pottery experienced a decline primarily because diplomatic and cultural contacts with China were severed. During the earlier parts of the Heian period, Japanese ceramic production had been influenced by the styles and techniques of Tang China. As these international connections were broken, the production of sophisticated wares diminished, and even the traditional Sueki ware eventually disappeared.12