Travel Guide Imbe - Bizen

Imbe is a pottery village that dates back more than seven centuries. It is famous for its Bizen-yaki pottery. The ceramics are not glazed and keep their rusticity, which is sought after by the great tea masters(chajin) who prefer humility and simplicity. The blue-grey clay is fired at high temperature in wood and straw kilns which, by causing suspensions of twigs and ash in fusion, make frequent traces of twigs in the pottery. The ceramic workshops and kilns are located around the town of Imbe, in the Bizen region. There are more than 100 of them. The old part of the town is a beautiful sight with its buildings with red brick chimneys and Bizen pottery tiles. Imbe quality ceramics are quite expensive. However, be careful as you will have no trouble finding poor quality ones at prohibitive prices.