Japan Heritage story
Hizen: the birthplace of Japanese porcelain
日本磁器のふるさと 肥前
Japanese porcelain was born in Arita about 400 years ago, and spread to neighbouring towns in Saga and Nagasaki. Each developed its own style, and their brick chimneys and kiln-brick walls still line the valleys.
Key facts
- Theme
- Forests and timber, Festivals and rituals, Food and sake, Mines and minerals
- Era
- Edo, Meiji
- Region
- Kyushu & Okinawa
- Official name in Japanese
- 日本磁器のふるさと 肥前
- Official subtitle in Japanese
- ～百花繚乱のやきもの散歩～
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 佐賀県（唐津市，伊万里市，武雄市，嬉野市，有田町）・長崎県（佐世保市，平戸市，波佐見町）
The story
Hizen, in northwest Kyushu, had everything a kiln needs: porcelain stone, wood for fuel and rivers. Porcelain making began in Arita and spread to Mikawachi, Hasami, Imari and Ureshino, all using the same kind of stepped climbing kiln but competing to stand out. Arita created the Kakiemon style, with delicate painting on milky white, and the lavish gold kinrande style.
Two lords ran their own kilns, making the very best pieces regardless of cost. At Okawachiyama in Imari, the Saga domain made fine Nabeshima ware; at Mikawachi, the Hirado domain made openwork and porcelain so thin it glows like eggshell. Hasami, with huge kilns, turned porcelain into everyday tableware, and its pieces turn up at almost every Edo-period site in Japan.
What to see
- Arita's Uchiyama district: old merchant houses, Western-style buildings and kiln workshops along one street.Google Maps 有田内山 (opens in a new tab)
- Okawachiyama: the "village of secret kilns", set among misty peaks like an ink painting.Google Maps 大川内山 (opens in a new tab)
- Mikawachi: remains of the magistrate's office and the old cart road of the lord's kilns.
- Nakaoyama in Hasami: the site of the Oshin climbing kiln, the largest in the world.Google Maps 中尾山 波佐見町 (opens in a new tab)
- Tonbai walls: walls built from old kiln bricks and shards set in red clay.
Plan your trip with the Saga and Nagasaki guides, and see more history and heritage.
Good to know
- Each town holds its own pottery fair; the Arita fair has run for over 100 years.
- Many workshops let you try painting or making your own piece.
- In Hasami, try hiyajiru, a cold soup once eaten by kiln stokers.
Questions travellers ask
Where did Japanese porcelain begin?
In Arita, in Hizen province (today's Saga), about 400 years ago.
What is the difference between Arita and Hasami ware?
Arita led in fine painted porcelain such as the Kakiemon style, while Hasami mass-produced porcelain for everyday use.
Where it comes from
More heritage stories from the same area
- Hakone Hachiri: walking the Edo stone road over Hakone
- Iki, Tsushima and Goto: Japan's border islands
- Sakura, Narita, Sawara and Choshi: the Edo closest to the airport
- The Murakami Kaizoku: sea lords of the Geiyo Islands
- The Sugar Road: sweets along the Nagasaki Kaido
- Yatsushiro's stonemasons: the bridge builders of Japan
- Yokosuka, Kure, Sasebo and Maizuru: Japan's naval port cities
Local foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.