Yakishime tea bowl (Shigaraki clay)
Yakishime tea bowl (Shigaraki clay)
Description
Hook & Philosophy
There are makers who refuse glaze altogether, listening only to the dialogue between clay and flame. Yukitaka Hatsuda is one of them, working with clays such as Shigaraki, Iga, Echizen, and Tamba at his own wood-fired anagama pit kiln, set quietly into the hills of Kasatori, Kyoto.
Inside this kiln, no glaze is ever applied. Clay is placed, fire is lit, and the rest is left to the flame. Through his own method of high-density, high-temperature firing, the fire drives ash through the chamber; the ash settles on the vessel's surface and melts into glass under intense heat, producing what is known as shizen-yu — natural ash glaze that no hand could design.
Shigaraki clay carries its own generous, weathered character. Its rough texture, threaded with feldspar and quartz, is transformed by the fire into a landscape of quiet dignity. This is not decoration. It is the memory the flame awakens from within the clay itself.
The Piece
Across the surface, natural ash glaze runs in bright streaks of green, while grains of feldspar and quartz embedded in the clay carve out a landscape both raw and beautiful. Turn the bowl, and the interior reveals a vivid hiiro — a warm, fire-born blush found nowhere else. The foot is finished in the wari-kōdai style, a cut, split foot that lends the piece its quiet strength.
This is a landscape only fire could decide. No two pieces — even from the same clay, the same kiln — will ever share the same expression. With use, the bowl's character will only deepen with time. A vessel meant to be lived with, its story still being written.
Specifications
- Dimensions: W approx. 12 cm × H 8 cm
- Material: Stoneware (Shigaraki clay), yakishime-fired in an anagama pit kiln in Kasatori, Kyoto
- Artist: Yukitaka Hatsuda
- Shipping: Shipped from Kyoto, Japan
■Important Notes Regarding High-Temperature-Fired pieces
This product was fired in a pit kiln at a temperature exceeding 1300°C. In a pit kiln, the falling ash melts and takes on a pearly appearance, while traces of charring and reddish highlights appear on the surfaces of the pieces. These color variations are what give wood firing in a pit kiln its unique charm. Because this item is made from raw, unsifted clay, the clay particles are not uniform in size and contain many small pebbles, which is why water leakage often occurs. Therefore, after being treated to prevent leakage, flower vases are filled with water for about a week after firing, and tea bowls, sake cups, and sake bottles are filled with water for a day and a night to check for leaks. However, water leakage may reappear during use. If you can identify the exact spot where the leak is occurring, apply a small amount of instant glue to the tip of a needle and seal the gap with pinpoint precision to stop the leak.
In the case of tea bowls, the gap is sometimes naturally filled over time as matcha residue accumulates with use, leading to improvement, so we would recommend taking a patient, long-term view of this natural process.
Shipping and customs
Shipped from Kyoto, Japan, via EMS.
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Note for international buyers: Customs duties, taxes, and import charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.
Return policy
Customs duties and taxes: For international orders, customs duties, taxes, and import fees may be applied by your country's customs authorities upon arrival of the package. These charges are the sole responsibility of the recipient. We cannot predict or control these charges. Please contact your local customs office for more information.