Surrounded by oddly shaped rocky hills half dug away and showing bare hillside, this deserted land is the remains of Izumiyama Kaolin Deposit where the Korean ceramist, Lee Cham-Pyung (Japanese name Ri Sampei) discovered kaolin for the first time in Japan about 400 years ago. The site was designated as National Historic Spot in 1980. With the discovery of kaolin in Izumiyama, it became possible to produce porcelains in Japan. In the Edo period, kaolin was under the strict control of Sarayama Magistrate’s Office of Nabeshima Province. In the Meiji period, a whole mountain had been dug away and even more digging was made in the ground, as the result of which it was confirmed that there was a lot more kaolin in the underground layers. However, as the problem of water drainage arose, they gave up further digging and began to obtain kaolin from Amakusa in Kumamoto Pref. The amount of mining decreased with the course of time. Some had been used for making tiles until recently, but the resources are nearly exhausted and the quarry is now closed. There is an opening space in the center of the remains. Standing there and looking up the surrounding rocks, you will see lush foliage of pine trees making strong contrast with white rock surface.