Arita, Saga

Arita 有田町
Town
Arita Town Hall
Flag Seal
Location of Arita in Saga Prefecture
Coordinates: 33°12′38″N 129°50′57″E / 33.21056°N 129.84917°E / 33.21056; 129.84917
Country	Japan
Region	Kyūshū
Prefecture	Saga
District	Nishimatsuura
Area
• Total	65.85 km2 (25.42 sq mi)
Population  (May 31, 2020)
• Total	18,634
• Density	280/km2 (730/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (JST)
Phone number	0955-46-2111
Address	2202 Tachibe, Arita-chō, Nishimatsuura-gun, Saga-ken 849-4153
Website	Official website
Symbols
Flower	Prunus serrulata
Tree	Ginkgo biloba Quercus glauca

Arita (有田町, Arita-chō) is a town located in Nishimatsuura District, Saga Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 May 2024^[update], the town had an estimated population of 18,634 in 7867 households, and a population density of 280 people per km².^[1] The total area of the town is 51.92 km² (20.05 sq mi). 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. This event is held from April 29 to May 5 (Golden Week) every year and has thousands of stores and stalls lining the six-kilometre long main street.

Arita is located in the western part of Saga Prefecture, bordering Nagasaki Prefecture from its southwest to western sides. About 70% of the town is forest and mountains.

Nagasaki Prefecture

• Hasami
• Sasebo

Saga Prefecture

• Imari
• Takeo

Arita has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Arita is 15.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1801 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around 5.7 °C.^[2]

Per Japanese census data, the population of Arita is as shown below. ^[3]

The area of Arita was part of ancient Hizen Province. During the Edo Period, it was mostly part of the holdings of Saga Domain. Arita was one of the first sites in Japan to produce porcelain, Arita ware. The discovery of porcelain stone is attributed to a Korean potter named Kanagae Sambe(Yi Sam-pyeong) who discovered a source of kaolin underneath the Izumiyama mountain in Arita, and began firing the nation’s first porcelain.^[4]

Following the Meiji restoration, the village of Sarayama is renamed and reclassified as the town of Arita. Also, the villages of Shin, Magarikawa and Ōyama were established within Nishimatsuura District, with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. On November 13, 1896 the village of Shin was renamed Arita, which was raised to town status on January 1, 1947 and renamed Higashi-Arita and which merged with Arita on April 1, 1954. Magarikawa and Ōyama merge to form the village of Nishi-Arita on April 1, 1955. Nishi-Arita was raised to town status on April1, 1965 and was merged into Arita on March 1, 2006

Arita has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 165 members. Arita contributes one member to the Saga Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Saga 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

The economy of Arita is overwhelmingly based on the ceramics industry, notably production of Arita ware, and on tourism.

Arita has four public elementary schools and two public junior high schools by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Fukuoka Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates a special education school for the handicapped.

• Arita Technical High School

• Arita Junior High School
• Nishi-Arita Junior High School

• Arita Chūbu Elementary School
• Arita Elementary School
• Magarikawa Elementary School
• Ōyama Elementary School

• Arita College of Ceramics

• JR Kyushu - Sasebo Line
  • ■ Kami-Arita - Arita

• Matsuura Railway- Nishi-Kyūshū Line
  • Arita - Midaibashi - Kurogō - Zōshuku - Nishi-Arita - Ōgi - Yamadani - Meotoishi

• National Route 35
• National Route 202
• National Route 498

Arita is twinned with:^[5]

• Meissen, Germany

• Jingdezhen, China

• Arita Kan (有田館) has an exhibition of modern art porcelain, 400 different cups for coffee or tea and a theatre with computerized puppets made of porcelain.
• "China On The Park" dates back to the end of the last century when the Fukugawa factory was chosen to provide the Imperial household with porcelain. This large and modern style facility contains a factory, galleries, shops and a restaurant.
• The Kyushu Ceramic Museum houses large exhibits of old and modern style ceramics.
• The Porcelain Park is a ceramic centered theme park, and is modeled on the Zwinger Palace in Germany. Ceramic ware from the heyday of Arita are on display in the gallery.
• Rokuroza (ろくろ座), located near Kami-Arita Station, is a place where one can learn how to make pottery.
• Tozan Shrine has a porcelain 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.

• Imari porcelain
• Kakiemon

• Ryuzan Aoki
• Tsuji Hitachi
• Imaizumi Imaemon XIII, a Living National Treasure in Japan
• Manji Inoue, a Living National Treasure in Japan
• Sakaida Kakiemon XIV, a Living National Treasure in Japan
• Kakiemon Sakaeda, The 1st Kakiemon

• Hakuji
• Japanese pottery
• Karatsu ware – Produced in Saga. The most produced pottery in western Japan. Believed to have started in the 16th century. Greatly influenced by Korean potters.
• Yi Sam Pyong (Yi Sam-p'young; 1579–1655)

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Arita.

• Media related to Arita, Saga at Wikimedia Commons
• Arita official website (in Japanese)