The is located in Arita Town

Arita, Saga

is a town located in Nishimatsuura District, Saga, Japan. It is known for producing Arita porcelain, one of the traditional handicrafts of Japan. It also holds the largest ceramic fair in Western Japan, the Arita Ceramic Fair...

, Nishimatsuura District

Nishimatsuura District, Saga

is a district located in Saga Prefecture, Japan.As of February 1, 2009, the district has an estimated population of 21,066 and a density of 320 persons per km²...

, Saga Prefecture

Saga Prefecture

is located in the northwest part of the island of Kyūshū, Japan. It touches both the Sea of Japan and the Ariake Sea. The western part of the prefecture is a region famous for producing ceramics and porcelain, particularly the towns of Karatsu, Imari, and Arita...

. Tōzan Shrine has a porcelain

Porcelain

Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...

 archway and other items of porcelain which, at other shrines, are usually made of stone. This shrine was and still is particularly revered by Arita’s ceramists.

History

It is dedicated to Emperor Ōjin

Emperor Ojin

, also known as Homutawake or , was the 15th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign, but he is conventionally considered to have reigned from 270 to 310....

, Nabeshima Naoshige

Nabeshima Naoshige

a retainer of the Ryūzōji clan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. Naoshige was the son of Nabeshima Kiyosada and was known as Nobumasa throughout half of his career under the Ryūzōji. Naoshige proved himself as being one of the greatest generals under Ryūzōji Takanobu...

, and Yi Sam-pyeong. It was founded in 1658.

The torii

Torii

A is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the profane to the sacred...

 (a shinto shrine archway) built in 1888. It had been designated Tangible Cultural Properties

Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan

as defined by the Japanese government's Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties are Cultural PropertiesIn this article, capitals indicate an official designation as opposed to a simple definition, e.g "Cultural Properties" as opposed to "cultural properties"...

in April 28, 2000.

Yi Sam-pyeong Monument

It was built in 1917 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Arita's porcelain. It is on a hill, and we can see the view of Arita town.

External links

• Tōzan Shrine Website
• Saga Attractions An English language guide
• Arita Sampo - Nature and Art