Gen-emon Kiln and Museum
Established in 1753, Gen-emon kiln has been creating handmade porcelain for over 260 years. During the Edo period (1603－1867), the Gen-emon potters fired their pieces in communal kilns. After the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1868, domain control of the kilns ended in the 1870s, and the Gen-emon family was able to build their own personal kiln and production facilities at their current location.
Gen-emon kiln’s workshops are open to visitors from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., offering a rare glimpse into the inner workings of porcelain production in Arita. The artisans can be observed using traditional methods refined over the past 200 years. Potters sit on the floor working wheels, while others knead and shape clay and artisans paint underglaze with various brushes. Visitors may even notice the scent of the red pine logs used as fuel for the kiln.
Located near the kiln, the Gen-emon Museum of Ko-Imari Porcelain was established in 1973 to house Gen-emon VI’s (1928–1989) personal collection of Arita ware made during the Edo period, which is known as Ko-Imari. In 1970, Gen-emon VI visited museums and kilns across Europe to study these pieces that had been exported from Arita and learn about the history of European porcelain creation.
The museum collection includes early Arita ware pieces made in the 1630s and 1640s, items made for export to Europe in the late 1600s and early 1700s, tableware made for the domestic market featuring European pastoral scenes, and porcelain fragments and other artifacts unearthed from historical kiln sites in Arita.
