Saga Prefectural Kyushu Ceramic Culture Museum

About

The Kyushu Ceramic Museum, run by Saga Prefecture, opened on 1 November 1980 in Arita, the birthplace of Japanese porcelain. It collects, preserves and exhibits ceramics from across Kyushu, centred on Hizen wares such as Imari (Arita) porcelain and Karatsu stoneware. Admission to the permanent displays is free, with fees only for special exhibitions. Its core holding is the Shibata Collection of some 10,000 pieces of Arita porcelain from the early to late Edo period, about 1,000 of which are on permanent display; the collection was registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property in 2006. The Kanbara Collection of old Imari export porcelain repatriated from Europe, and works by modern Kyushu ceramic artists such as Aoki Ryuzan and Nakazato Hoan, round out the displays.