Yamato Shōroku 大和松緑 - Vintage Grey Hagi-Yaki Chawan

This heavy hantsutsu-gata Hagi-yaki chawan (matcha bowl) features a spectacularly crazed translucent grey ash glaze that shows off the colour changes in the clay underneath.

Made by Yamato Shōroku (大和松緑), and comes with its original kiribako (桐箱 - wooden paulownia box) signed by the artist.

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:

12.4cm (4.9in) - width
7.9cm (3.1in) - height
350ml - capacity

Condition: Excellent

This vintage Japanese item ships from the United States