Shigaraki matcha tea bowl by Yanashita Hideki

Width 12.3cm x 11.7cm Height 8.7cm

It has a slender body and a slightly thin rim.
The Shigaraki Tea Bowl by Yanagishita Tokiki is a bowl that quietly combines the ancient Shigaraki clay with modern aesthetic sensibility. Its appearance exudes a dignified elegance, and the moment it is placed in the palm of your hand, it exudes a sense of tension and beauty that seems to particularly tense the atmosphere of the tea ceremony.

Tableware that inherits the traditions of Shigaraki, one of Japan's Six Ancient Kilns

This piece is made of Shigaraki ware, one of Japan's Six Ancient Kilns. With a history spanning 1,250 years, this region is a mecca for "fireware," where the art of natural glazes and fire blends. Mr. Yanagishita's Shigaraki tea bowl was also created through a five-day, night-long high-temperature firing process, during which wood ash accumulates on the vessel and remains on the surface as a green, glassy "natural ash glaze (vidro glaze)." The way the vitro flows and sways is reminiscent of morning light filtering into a mountain stream, creating a quietly captivating beauty.

A trio of fire and earth—fire and scorch

This tea bowl beautifully displays the three elements that characterize Shigaraki ware.

The first is the uneven, poetic landscape that cannot be achieved with artificial glazes. The second is fire color . The iron contained in the clay takes on a reddish hue during firing, giving the surface of the vessel a faint scarlet or pale persimmon color. These "traces of fire" are proof that the clay and fire have met. And finally, charring . This phenomenon, in which parts buried in wood ash turn a dark brown, gives parts of the vessel powerful shadows, creating a weight and depth that seems as if they have been carved by time.

The beauty of thin construction - the balance between stillness and movement

This tea bowl is characterized by its slightly thin rim. By deliberately adding a lightness to the thick, rough Shigaraki ware, Yanagishita has achieved a form that combines tension and elegance.
The lightness when you bring it to your mouth, the gentle vibration when you sip the tea.
It is a thoughtful design that can only be achieved with vessels that are made with the premise of being used.

Furthermore, this thinness brings out the green color of the matcha, further enhancing the visual beauty of the tea ceremony.
The scarlet and matcha green, with a soft sheen. The vessel and the tea enhance each other, creating a true collaboration.

Wood-fired kilns and Yanagishita Tokiki - the inherited aesthetics of flame

Yanagishita Tokiki is a ceramic artist who built the Kanda Kiln in Iga and continues to create pottery in dialogue with earth and firewood. His work consistently explores the theme of "how to represent the boundary between nature and human intervention." While his Shigaraki tea bowls appear to be left to nature, each one is imbued with the artist's intent and aesthetic sense. A landscape that can only be created by entrusting the work to the flame—yet this landscape is guided by the artist's hands and senses. The Shigaraki clay, the randomness of the flame, and the discerning eye—all of these are present in Yanagishita's bowls. Holding one in the palm of your hand conveys a gentle warmth and the memory of the wood-fired kiln to your fingertips. And the moment you brew tea, the subtle echoes of the flickering flames are resurrected within the bowl.

Hideki Yanashita Profile
Ceramic artist 1967 –
Born in Tokyo, Yanagishita currently lives and works in Iga City, Mie Prefecture. Fascinated by pottery from the Momoyama period, he embarked on a career in ceramics. After training in Shigaraki , he built his own anagama kiln in Iga, Mie Prefecture, and opened the "Kanda Kiln." Under the tutelage of Sadamitsu Sugimoto, he delves deeply into the world of wabi-sabi from his own unique perspective, producing a diverse range of works, including Raku ware, Yakishime, Ido, and Oribe ware. An important theme in Yanagishita's creative endeavors is the pursuit of new heights , born from the incorporation of modern materials and unique approaches, while deeply studying the techniques and spirit of his predecessors. His works question essential beauty that transcends time and invite viewers into a deeper world of art.

Base of operations : Iga, Mie Prefecture