Tajimi (多治見)
Gifu
Quick Info
Map
Getting There
- train
- bus
- car
Best Times to Visit
- spring: Pleasant temperatures, seasonal nature at Eihoji, and the spring Tajimi Ceramics Festival make this a strong visiting season.
- autumn: Mild weather, colorful foliage at Eihoji, and major October ceramics festivals provide especially compelling experiences.
What's There
- architecture: Ceramic Park MINO and the Mosaic Tile Museum feature distinctive architecture integrated with ceramic materials and surrounding nature.
- art: Modern, contemporary, and historic ceramic works are presented in multiple museums and galleries.
- crafts: Tajimi is a major Mino-yaki center, with pottery traditions, tile-making, workshops, and hands-on craft experiences.
- culture: Ceramics, tea-ceremony traditions, local festivals, museums, and historic streets form the city’s cultural identity.
- festival: Spring and autumn ceramics festivals attract visitors with pottery exhibitions, sales, and related cultural activities.
- garden: Eihoji Temple’s historic Zen garden is nationally designated for scenic beauty and complements its temple buildings.
- history: Mino ware has approximately 1,300 years of history, while Eihoji and historic ceramic districts preserve local heritage.
- museum: Specialized museums cover modern ceramics, Mino ware, mosaic tiles, production history, and contemporary artistic practice.
- nature: Eihoji lies beside the Toki River in a forested setting, while Ceramic Park MINO emphasizes harmony with nature.
- park: Ceramic Park MINO combines museums, ceramic sales, workshops, outdoor spaces, and cultural events in one complex.
- shopping: Visitors can purchase Mino-yaki at ceramics festivals, wholesalers, galleries, museum shops, and historic pottery streets.
- spiritual: Eihoji is an active Zen temple offering a tranquil, contemplative atmosphere amid forest and riverside scenery.
- temple: Kokeizan Eihoji is a historic Zen temple with nationally designated buildings and a celebrated landscape garden.
Specialties
- Mino-yaki Pottery (美濃焼): Tajimi is part of the Mino pottery region, where ceramic production has continued for approximately 1,300 years. Mino-yaki includes a broad range of earthenware and porcelain styles.
- Shino Ware (志野): Shino is a major Mino ceramic tradition associated with white glaze and distinctive expressive decoration. Tajimi’s cultural-property listings identify Shino as an important intangible ceramic tradition.
- Oribe Ware (織部): Oribe is one of the established ceramic traditions of the Mino region, known for distinctive glazes and forms. Tajimi’s official cultural-property records recognize Oribe as an important intangible ceramic tradition.
- Kizeto Ware (黄瀬戸): Kizeto is a traditional Mino ware style represented in Tajimi’s ceramic collections and cultural heritage. The city’s tourism information identifies it among the characteristic Mino ceramic forms displayed locally.
- Seto-guro Ware (瀬戸黒): Seto-guro is a recognized Mino ceramic style associated with dark, often black-glazed tea bowls. Tajimi’s official tourism material lists Seto-guro among the local ceramic traditions exhibited in the city.
Attractions
Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu (岐阜県現代陶芸美術館)
The museum presents modern and contemporary ceramics from Japan and around the world through collections and exhibitions. It is located at Ceramic Park MINO in Tajimi.
Mino Ceramic Art Museum, Tajimi (多治見市美濃焼ミュージアム)
This museum introduces the history and development of Mino ware, from historic ceramics to modern works. Its exhibitions provide context for Tajimi’s long-standing pottery culture.
Tajimi Mosaic Tile Museum (多治見市モザイクタイルミュージアム)
The museum explores tile production and mosaic art in Kasahara, an area with a long tile-making history. Its collection includes more than 10,000 tile-related objects, and visitors can take part in tile crafts.
Ceramic Park MINO (セラミックパークMINO)
Ceramic Park MINO combines ceramic exhibitions, Mino-yaki sales, pottery experiences, and cultural events. It also houses the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu.
Kokeizan Eihoji Temple (虎渓山永保寺)
Eihoji is a Zen temple known for its historic Kannondo and Kaisando buildings, both designated national treasures. Its garden, associated with the landscape designer Muso Kokushi, is designated a national place of scenic beauty.