The shipping port that gave its name to Japan's early porcelain exports, though the real destination is Okawachiyama up the valley, where 30 working kilns occupy a narrow gorge that the Nabeshima clan chose for its defensible terrain. Korean potters' descendants still fire here. The Nabeshima Hanyo Park preserves the climbing-kiln ruins, and the Imari Nabeshima Ware Hall doubles as a tasting room for the contemporary kilns.
What Imari is known for
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Imari Nabeshima Kiln Visit
4.4craft
Secluded mountain porcelain village with 30 active kilns and intimate painting workshops.
Okawachiyama Pottery Village
4.3craft
Secret feudal porcelain valley where 30 kilns still produce behind the ruins of old guardhouses.
Imari-Arita Ware Traditional Crafts Center
4.0museum
Visitor center at the entrance to Okawachiyama, displaying Imari and Nabeshima ware history alongside contemporary work from the village's 30 active kilns.
Nabeshima Hanyo Park
4.0park
Kiln-ruin park on the forested slope above Okawachiyama, with reconstructed Edo-period stepped kilns and modern ceramic art among the rocks.