This Akazu-yaki Ofukei yunomi (teacup) has a classic cylindrical shape and sports a classy ofukei glaze, decorated with blue vertical stripes - a traditional Japanese pattern known as tokusa (十草).

The traditional ofukei glaze is a mix of ash and feldspar that turns an elegant blue-green when fired in reduction. This hue coupled with the crazing of the glaze has earned this style the nickname Mino Celadon. The soft, hand-painted stripes on this cup are made using gosu (呉須), a cobalt oxide-rich pigment more famously used in blue-and-white porcelain.

Each cup is handmade, glazed, and painted by Katō Hiroshige, using natural materials from the area surrounding his workshop.

Please note that due to the organic nature of hand-throwing, glazing, and painting, there are variations between pieces, with each cup being unique in shape and design. Five pieces are pictured above to display these natural variations.

Ofukei (御深井) is a glaze style that originates with Akazu-yaki. Four families of Akazu potters were recruited by the Owari Branch of the Tokugawa Shogunate to produce ceramics to be used by them in Nagoya Castle. The kiln site was set up north of the castle in an area called Ofukei-maru, giving these wares their name. The glaze used is a mix of ash and feldspar, which turns a pale green-blue when fired in reduction. While this style was brought back to Mino and Seto, Akazu is its homeland. Of the original four families, only Katō Hiroshige’s still produces pottery, making his Ofukei work all the more special.

Katō Hiroshige (加藤裕重) is a 14th generation potter, and the 12th head of Kitagama Kasen (喜多窯 霞仙), based in the Akazu hills in Seto. In the early Edo period, his family was one of four protected by the Tokugawa Shogunate in order to fire tea ceremony utensils for Nagoya Castle. These Oniwa-yaki (garden fired) wares for the Nagoya Tokugawa developed into a style called Ofukei (御深井). His family's kiln is the only remaining of those original four.

Katō-san specializes in traditional Mino and Seto styles such as Shino and Oribe, as well as the Akazu-yaki speciality of Ofukei. In addition, Katō -san loves developing new styles and pursuing his own unique artistic expression.

Akazu-yaki (赤津焼), from Akazu in Aichi Prefecture, is often seen as merely a subset of Seto-yaki, however Akazu is one of the oldest pottery sites in the region was also the official kiln site for the Tokugawa family in Nagoya castle, with Akazu potters also firing wares in the castle garden. Many of the styles associated with Mino-yaki were originally developed in Akazu. The turmoils of the Sengoku Era caused potters to flee the Seto region over the mountains to Mino. Today, the Akazu traditions are upheld by roughly a dozen potters.

Dimensions:

7.5cm (3in) - width
8.5cm (3.3in) - height
200ml - capacity

Condition: New

This Japanese item ships from the United States.