About Nagatani-en Workshop 1
Nagatani-en Workshop 1 (長谷園工房一, Nagatani-en Kobo Ichi) is a single-story timber pottery workshop of the Taisho period (1912 to 1926) beside an internal path at the Nagatani-en pottery in Marubashira, Iga City, Mie Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 26 March 2015.
Nagatani-en Workshop 1 runs east to west under a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles and covers 87 square meters. The long walls are clad in vertical boards, and only the gable ends are plastered white. It stands in the workshop area across the lane from the family residence and, with Workshop 2 of the same era, belonged to the production side of the business.
A single room built for daylight
Inside, Nagatani-en Workshop 1 is one undivided room under a board-and-batten (saobuchi) ceiling. Along the south side every bay between the posts is a window.
Throwing, trimming, and shaping clay depend on good light at the hands. Here the builders opened the entire south wall to the sun. From the path, the regular row of windows set into dark boarding is what gives the building its working look, quite unlike the houses across the lane.
Machinery that once turned the wheels
What makes Nagatani-en Workshop 1 special is inside. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records that part of the machinery that once transmitted power to the potters' wheels survives here. Equipment from the days when the wheels here were driven by machine power remains in the very building where it was installed.
The Agency describes the workshop as a facility that conveys how pottery was made. It was registered as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the country, but its interest goes beyond the streetscape: it shows concretely how an Iga pottery worked in the Taisho period. When the Council for Cultural Affairs recommended it in November 2014, Mie Prefecture's summary included photographs of its exterior and interior, alongside the main house and Exhibition Room 1.
Visiting Nagatani-en Workshop 1
We could not confirm how the interior of Nagatani-en Workshop 1 is used today, or if visitors can go in. Nagatani-en's walking area includes exhibition rooms, a hands-on workshop, and a rest area, but the official guide does not say which of these, if any, is Workshop 1.
From the internal path, look for the row of south windows and the white gable ends. Opening hours and directions are on the Nagatani-en page.
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Q&A
- When was Nagatani-en Workshop 1 built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Taisho period (1912 to 1926).
- What survives inside Nagatani-en Workshop 1?
- Part of the machinery that once transmitted power to the potters' wheels. The Agency treats it as evidence of how pottery was produced.
- What does Nagatani-en Workshop 1 look like?
- A single-story timber building running east to west, with a gabled pantile roof, vertical board walls, and white plastered gable ends. The south wall is lined with windows.
- Can visitors go inside Nagatani-en Workshop 1?
- The official guide does not say if the interior is open. The exterior can be seen from the internal path.
- When did Nagatani-en Workshop 1 become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 26 March 2015.
Basic Information
| Name | Nagatani-en Workshop 1 |
|---|---|
| Location | 568-4 Marubashira, Iga City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 26 March 2015 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 87 square meters (1-story timber, gabled pantile roof) |
| Owner | Not listed (Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Interior access unconfirmed |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Nagatani-en Workshop 1 (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010472
- Cultural Heritage Online: Nagatani-en Workshop 1 (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/234208
- 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
