This hand-crafted mug features a flared shape and is decorated in a unique style called seiunmon (青雲紋 - blue cloud pattern), developed by Katō Hiroshige to mimic the beauty of clouds floating in a deep blue sky.

This innovative style combines the traditional Ofukei (御深井) glazes unique to Akazu-yaki with the chōka (貼花) technique of pasting carved or stamped designs on the surface of the clay to create dimensional designs. The ofukei glaze on this mug consists of a base layer of a feldspar-rich ash glaze which fires into a celadon-esque green with beautiful crazing. The deep blue comes from gosu (呉須), a cobalt oxide-rich pigment traditionally used in blue-and-white porcelain.

Each cup is handmade, glazed, and painted by Katō Hiroshige (加藤裕重) of Kasen Kiln (喜多窯), using natural materials from the area surrounding his workshop.

Please note that due to the organic nature of handmade potting, glazing, and painting, there are variations between pieces, with each cup varying subtly in shape and design.

Hiroshige Katō is a 14th generation potter, and the 12th head of Kasen Kiln, based in the Akazu hills in Seto. In the early Edo period, his family was one of four protected by the Tokugawa Shogunate in order to fire tea ceremony utensils for Nagoya Castle. These Oniwa-yaki (garden fired) wares for the Nagoya Tokugawa developed into a style called Ofuke (御深井). His family's kiln is the only remaining of those original four.

Hiroshige-san specializes in traditional Mino and Seto styles such as Shino and Oribe, as well as the Akazu-yaki speciality of Ofuke. In addition, Hiroshige-san loves developing new styles and pursuing his own unique artistic expression.

Akazu-yaki (赤津焼), from Akazu in Aichi Prefecture, is often seen as merely a subset of Seto-yaki, however Akazu is one of the oldest pottery sites in the region was also the official kiln site for the Tokugawa family in Nagoya castle, with Akazu potters also firing wares in the castle garden. Many of the styles associated with Mino-yaki were originally developed in Akazu. The turmoils of the Sengoku Era caused potters to flee the Seto region over the mountains to Mino. Today, the Akazu traditions are upheld by roughly a dozen potters.