Further along Arita's main street towards the east, a mountain suddenly looms into view on the right-hand side. 400 years ago a group of Korean potters, led by Yi Sam-pyeong, discovered porcelain stone here and became the first in Japan to successfully fire porcelain. The porcelain production, which began around the beginning of the Edo Period and grew exponentially, consisted of Koimari wares which fans of early Imari wares with their sooth surfaces and antiques just had to have that also enchanted the royals and aristocrats of Europe; and it all began here, at the porcelain stone deposit discovered at Izumiyama. For that reason, Izumiyama can certainly be considered a treasure trove. Nowadays the quarry is not in operation but it has been partitioned off with a fence and tours are held. At the shrine of Izumiyama Quarry, there is a Koraijin monument devoted to Yi Sam-pyeong. The history folklore resource center next door and its adjacent Arita-yaki reference museum displays a restored mock of an ascending kiln, various tools and broken pieces of pottery, etc. This is a spot which shouldn't be missed by pottery enthusiasts, as here you are sure to capture a sense of being in the cradle of Arita-yaki.
● Access:
From train station: 10-minute walk from JR Kami-Arita Station
Car: 15-minute drive from Nishi-kyushu Expressway Hasami-Arita IC
From train station: Get on Arita-cho Community Bus at Arita Station on the JR Sasebo Line, get off at “Hakujigaoka” stop, and walk for 5 minutes
● Parking Lot: Accommodates 30 cars (free of charge)
● Contacts:
Division of Planning, Commerce and Tourism, Arita Town Office, Tel: +81-955-46-2500
Arita Tourism Information Center, Tel: +81-955-43-2121
