Thriving as a village in front of Zuizen-ji Temple, built in the 14th century, Inami has now grown into Japan's biggest woodcarving town, and it is the only place in the world where the street is lined with the studios of woodcarvers.

The stone-paved streets filled with the pleasing echoes of wooden mallets and the fragrance of trees are decorated throughout with wood sculptures, making the town a woodcarving art museum.

In May 2018, it was recognized as a Japanese Heritage site.