This handbuilt Ohi-yaki (大樋焼) raku chawan (matcha bowl) features a lustrous burnt sienna 'candy glaze' with subtle variations. Candy glaze, or 'ame-yu' (飴釉) in Japanese, is a high-iron glaze known for its delightful variations and unevenness in colour and texture, getting its name from its overall caramel colour. Early examples of this glaze style date back to the Kamakura period.

This bowl was made by ceramic artist Izumi Kisen III (泉喜仙) a third generation potter at the Shoun Kiln (松雲窯). Born in 1961 as the eldest daughter of Kisen Izumi II, the second generation of Shoun Kiln, she studied under her father before taking the title of Kisen Izumi III in 1994. One of the few female chawan potters, she hopes to spread the beauty of Ohi-yaki This piece also comes with its original paulownia tomobako (共箱).

Like all raku chawan, this bowl was handbuilt rather than thrown on a wheel. Handbuilding (or handforming, called tebineri (手びねり) in Japanese) refers to pottery made by hand either through coiling or carving, which leaves subtle imperfections from the idealised circular form. The gentle unevenness and asymmetry that results gives Raku chawan a warm, organic feel, exuding the Japanese spirit of wabi-sabi. Glazed in simple black or red, and made roughly cylindrical in shape, these bowls captured the essence of Rikyu’s pared-down style of tea and marked the dawn of a new age in aesthetics, dictated for the first time by domestic Japanese wares rather than imported goods. without the use of a high-speed pottery wheel (instead using a low-speed hand spun wheel).

One of Japan's most recognisable styles, Raku Chawan were developed by famous tea master Sen-no-Rikyu in the late 16th century. Perhaps inspired by the recently created 引き出し黒 (hikidashi-guro) technique used to produce the Seto-guro style of black chawan, Rikyu collaborated with tile-maker Chojiro to produce a new style of ware for use in the tea ceremony. Hand-formed from porous clay rather than wheel-thrown, Raku chawan are then coated in a lead glaze, fired at low temperatures, and removed from the kiln while still glowing hot. Most Raku chawan exist in two styles: Aka-raku (red raku), and Kuro-raku (black raku).

Ohi-yaki (大樋焼) from Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, is an offshoot of Kyoto-based Raku-yaki, with the first Ohi potter being the son of Raku III and apprentice to Raku IV. The first Ohi kiln was opened in 1666, and for six generations made tea ware exclusively for the Maeda Clan, but since the 7th generation in the mid-to-late 19th century, began producing tea ware and other ceramics for the general public. As a descendant of Raku-ware, Ohi-yaki chawan are handbuilt without the use of a potters' wheel, either through coil-building or carving techniques.

Dimensions:

12.5cm (4.9in) - width
8.2cm (3.2in) - height
400ml - capacity

Condition: Very good (minor hairline crack repaired with kintsugi, please see photos)

This vintage Japanese item ships from the United States