Celadon Yuzamashi - 150ml
AsahiyakiThis elegant celadon yuzamashi (water cooler) is thrown from porcelain in an wide, open shape. The wide shape allows the tea to cool rapidly. Additionally, the transparent glaze on the inside of the cup lets the pure white of the porcelain shine through, allowing the true colour of the tea to be discerned. The outside of the cup is given a classic celadon glaze, with its pale blue-green tone recalling the clarity of the Uji River and the elegance of ancient Song Dynasty wares.
Before using it for the first time, it is recommended to soak the piece in water for 10 minutes. This will dislodge any dust from the clay as well as slow down the natural development of patina in the glaze.
This piece was made by the skilled craftsmen at the Asahiyaki studio.
Made in Japan. Ships from the United States.
Width: 10.1 cm (4 in)
Height: 5.5 cm (2.2 in)
Capacity: 150 ml
Generally speaking, celadon (青磁 - seiji) refers to high-fired stoneware or porcelain wares covered with a pale, translucent, bluish-green-grey glaze. Typically, these glazes get their colour from small amounts of refined iron fired at high temperature in a reducing atmosphere.
The earliest proto-celadons were developed in the Shang Dynasty in China, but it was only in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) that celadon production became more popular and refined, with Ru, Yue, Yaozhou, Ge, Guan, and Longquan celadons defining the aesthetics of the era. Ranging from pure light blues, to crazed greens, the jade-like ceramic became the standard of the Song Imperial Court.
Celadon from the Longquan kilns (龍泉, pronounced ryūsen in Japanese), was produced in large quantities and exported outside of China. Efforts to mimic these wares in Goryeo Dynasty Korea resulted in a new and unique Korean style of celadon, often with delicate inlay.
In Japan, Longquan celadon was highly regarded, but rarely imitated at first, due to the ceramic technology required. Domestic celadon production only began in Japan in the 1600s.
Asahi-yaki (朝日焼) are a world-renowned pottery studio located at the foot of Mt. Asahi in Uji. Their founder produced wares for the tea ceremony in the late 16th-early 17th centuries, at the height of chanoyu’s artistic development, and his works were loved by chajin Kobori Enshū (who succeeded Furuta Oribe and Sen-no-Rikyū as leading tea master). Since then, Asahi-yaki have continued to make wares that capture Enshū’s aesthetic philosophy of ‘Kirei-Sabi’, which is a more refined take on Rikyū’s ‘Wabi(-sabi)’.
Today, they are headed by 16th generation potter Matsubayashi Hōsai XVI who leads his studio in producing wares for both the Japanese tea ceremony and for the brewing of loose-leaf teas. They continue to use local Uji clay, mined from the surrounding hills, which they call ‘hanshi’. Since the 8th generation head, they also make sencha and gyokuro wares out of porcelain from Kyūshu.