About the Nagatani-en Hands-on Workshop
The Nagatani-en Hands-on Workshop (長谷園体験工房, Nagatani-en Taiken Kobo) is a long single-story timber work building of the Meiji period (1868 to 1912) on the east side of the lane at the Nagatani-en pottery in Marubashira, Iga City, Mie Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 26 March 2015.
The Nagatani-en Hands-on Workshop runs north to south for 25 meters. Its pantile roof changes shape from end to end, gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) at the south and hipped (Yosemune-zukuri) at the north. The walls are vertical boarding, and the building area is 149 square meters.
Its present name comes from the pottery classes held at Nagatani-en today. It was built for something else.
Firewood for the kiln and glaze tests
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Nagatani-en Hands-on Workshop served as a firewood store for a climbing kiln built beside it and as a place for testing glazes, among other uses. A climbing kiln burns a great deal of wood in a single firing, so a pottery needs a large, dry place to stack it. A building 25 meters long suits that job well.
Inside, some of the walls still carry nizuri-gi, horizontal boards nailed along the wall to keep stacked goods from scraping it. They are most likely a sign of bundles of firewood piled up to the walls, and they show from the inside that the building worked as a store.
Glaze trials decide the color and surface of the finished ware. Fuel before the firing and testing for the result after it, two jobs that frame every firing, were gathered in this one building.
Why the Nagatani-en Hands-on Workshop is registered
The Nagatani-en Hands-on Workshop was registered as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency describes it as a building that recalls what pottery making here once looked like.
Its long boarded wall on the east side of the lane, with the exhibition rooms and workshops opposite, gives the street the look of a working potters' village. Plain and built for use, it shows the production side of Nagatani-en more clearly than any of the houses.
The Agency's database lists the period field as Taisho but the date field as Meiji. Mie Prefecture's summary gives Meiji and a building area of 150 square meters. This article uses the Meiji date and the Agency's 149 square meters.
Visiting and pottery classes
Nagatani-en advertises pottery classes, led by working potters, as taking place in its hands-on workshop. Groups need at least five people and must book by phone at least a week ahead, on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Painting starts at ¥2,750, and hand-building starts at ¥5,500 for 1 kilogram of clay. These details were checked on the official Nagatani-en website on 5 October 2026 and may change.
The official guide does not make clear if the classes take place in the registered Nagatani-en Hands-on Workshop building itself. The exterior can be seen from the east side of the lane; walk to each end to compare the gabled south roof with the hipped north end. Opening hours and directions are on the Nagatani-en page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Mie
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nagatani-en Hands-on Workshop
- [ Ise Grand Shrine & Shima Bay Cruise Tours ]
Q&A
- What was the Nagatani-en Hands-on Workshop originally used for?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs records that it stored firewood for a climbing kiln built beside it and was used for glaze tests, among other things.
- How big is the Nagatani-en Hands-on Workshop?
- It is a long single-story timber building 25 meters in length, with a building area of 149 square meters according to the Agency's database.
- Can I try pottery at the Nagatani-en Hands-on Workshop?
- Nagatani-en holds pottery classes in its hands-on workshop for groups of five or more, booked by phone at least a week ahead. Painting starts at ¥2,750 and hand-building at ¥5,500.
- What traces of its old use remain inside the Nagatani-en Hands-on Workshop?
- Some inner walls keep nizuri-gi, boards fixed along the wall to protect it from stacked goods.
- When did the Nagatani-en Hands-on Workshop become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 26 March 2015. It is dated to the Meiji period (1868 to 1912).
Basic Information
| Name | Nagatani-en Hands-on Workshop |
|---|---|
| Location | 585 Marubashira, Iga City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 26 March 2015 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 25 meters long, building area 149 square meters (1-story timber, pantile roof) |
| Owner | Not listed (Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Used for pottery classes (groups of 5 or more, booking required) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Nagatani-en Hands-on Workshop (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010474
- Cultural Heritage Online: Nagatani-en Hands-on Workshop (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/283170
- Mie Prefecture: Summary of the recommended properties (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.mie.lg.jp/common/content/000371116.pdf
- Iga City Digital Museum: Nagatani-en buildings and kiln (Japanese)
- https://adeac.jp/iga-city/catalog/mp404530-100040
- Nagatani-en: Shop information (Japanese)
- https://igamono.co.jp/at-first/shop/
Last verified: 2026.10.05
