This elegant hantsutsu-gata Hagi-yaki chawan (matcha bowl) has a lovely war beige glaze with subtle gohon (御本) spots. The front, or shoumen (正面), of the bowl is marked with a kamon (家紋 - family crest) in white slip.

Like most Hagi ware, this chawan is porous and will absorb water and tea and change colour over time. With each use, we suggest rinsing the bowl with hot water before preparing tea in it, as you would with any chawan.

Hagi-yaki (萩焼) is a type of Japanese pottery that comes from the town of Hagi in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan and dates back over 400 years. Some of the oldest Hagi-yaki pieces have been declared National Treasures of Japan. The natural warm hues of its clay, along with the simple lines of its forms are highly valued within the traditional aesthetics of many tea ceremony schools.

Hagi ware is said to improve with age as the tannins in the tea slowly stain the fine cracks in the glaze (called crazing or kan-nyuu), creating a rich texture known as 'nanabake', or 'the 7 transformations'. Because of this slightly porous nature, some people like to dedicate their Hagi ware to one type of tea, such as sencha, to avoid having other aromas seep into the clay.

Dimensions:

12.8cm (5in) - width
8cm (3.1in) - height
580ml - capacity

Condition: Very good

This vintage Japanese item ships from Thailand.