Imari

Imari is a city in the western part of Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan, about 50 kilometers west of the prefectural capital, with its urban center around the mouth of the Imari River. It is best known for Imari porcelain, the European collectors' name for Japanese porcelain made in Arita and exported from the port of Imari. In the Edo period the region flourished on ceramics exports, and Okawachiyama, the Village of the Secret Kilns, was home to the Nabeshima clan kilns. The fleet of the second Mongol invasion retreated into Imari Bay in 1281 and was destroyed there by a typhoon. The city was created on April 1, 1954, by merging the towns of Imari and Yamashiro with several villages. The Port of Imari handles container ships, bulk ships and cruise ships and hosts a large shipyard, and the city is also a major producer of Japanese pears.