This Bizen-yaki chawan (matcha bowl) is made from a light coloured clay that contrasts with the vibrant, scarlet red hidasuki stripes. The classic hantustsu-gata (半筒形 - half-cylindrical) shape adds to the rustic simplicity of the chawan while also making it very easy and intuitive to use and whisk in.
This chawan was designed by 19th-generation potter Mori Toshiaki for the Genso line and was made by potters of the Mori family. The bowl comes in a kiribako (桐箱 - paulownia wooden box) signed by the artist.
Due to the organic and nature of hand-potting and straw-wrapping, each piece is unique.
Specifications
Made in Japan. Ships from the United States.
Width: 11.9 cm (4.7 in) (Widest Point)
Height: 7.2 cm (2.8 in)
Bizen-yaki Ceramics
Bizen-yaki (備前焼) is a type of Japanese pottery that traditionally comes from Bizen province, now part of Okayama prefecture, Japan. The site of one of Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns, pottery has been made in Bizen since at least the 14th century.
Fired at high temperature for a long time (as long as 14 days) in wood-burning kilns, Bizen ware is known for its earthen colours and lack of traditional glaze. Because of the clay’s high rate of shrinkage, it is unsuitable for glazing. Instead, the designs found on Bizen ware come from kiln effects and include traces of molten ash resembling glaze and markings resulting from wood-burning kiln firing.
About Hidasuki
Hidasuki (緋襷) is a traditional decoration created when the potter wraps rice straw around a piece before placing it into the kiln, where the alkalines in the straw react with iron in the clay body to produce striking scarlet burn marks in the shape of the straw wrapping. When fired in reduction, the reduction, these marks tend to be grey or blue.
Meet Genso (幻想) About the Artist
Founded in 2021, Genso is a collaborative project between various kilns in Bizen that was created to promote Bizen-yaki and make it easier for artists to sell their wares. In addition to serving as a platform for artists, Genso serves as a brand for an original line of wares designed by Mori Toshiaki and produced in his kiln.
Born in 1982, Mori Toshiaki (森敏彰) is a 19th-generation potter and next in line to lead Hōzan Kiln (宝山窯). His family is one of the six venerated Bizen-yaki families since the early Edo period. Today, he splits his work between standard wares produced under the kiln's name, his personal artistic expressions, and new ventures such as the Genso line. In doing so, he aims to balance his duty to uphold centuries of family tradition, with a desire to express and innovate.
