Imari Okawachi-yama Kiln Village
A hidden valley where the Nabeshima clan's secret kilns produced porcelain exclusively for the Edo shogunate and European royalty. Today 30+ kilns still operate in this quiet mountain valley — you can watch master potters at work and buy directly from the kilns that supplied Versailles.
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Okawachi-yama was the secret kiln village that produced porcelain exclusively for the Nabeshima clan — access was forbidden to outsiders for 200 years. Today 30 kilns still fire in the valley. The climb through the village to the upper waterfall and shrine takes 20 minutes and gives good views of the kiln chimneys. A less-visited alternative to Arita with a more intimate atmosphere.
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