Shigaraki matcha tea bowl by Yanashita Hideki

Width 12.3cm x Height 11.7cm

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 soil of Shigaraki with modern aesthetic sense. Its appearance is filled with a dignified elegance, and the moment you place it in your palm, you feel a sense of tension and beauty that makes the atmosphere of the tea ceremony especially tense.

Pottery that inherits the traditions of Shigaraki, one of the six ancient kilns of Japan

The ware used in this piece is Shigaraki ware, one of the six ancient kilns of Japan. With a history spanning 1250 years, this region is a mecca for "flame vessels," where the art of natural glazes and fire come together. Yanagishita's Shigaraki tea bowl was also created through five days and nights of high-temperature firing, during which time wood ash fell on the vessel and remained on the surface as a green, glassy "natural ash glaze (vidro glaze)." The way the vidro flows and sways is like the morning light shining into a mountain stream, and its beauty is quietly captivating.

A trio of fire and earth: fire and scorch

The three elements that characterize Shigaraki ware are beautifully displayed in this tea bowl.

The first is the unevenness and poetic scenery 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 of the vessel buried in the wood ash turn a dark brown gives parts of the vessel strong 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 has a distinctive, slightly thin rim. By adding a lightness to the thick and 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, it is this thinness that brings out the green colour of the matcha, further enhancing the visual beauty of the tea ceremony.
The scarlet and matcha green, with their soft luster. The vessel and the tea enhance each other, creating a true collaboration.

Wood-fired kilns and Yanagishita Tokiki: the inherited aesthetics of fire

Yanagishita Tokiki is an artist who built the Kanda Kiln in Iga and has continued to create pottery while interacting with earth and firewood. His works have a consistent theme of "how to show the boundary between nature and man-made." Although Shigaraki tea bowls may seem left to nature, each one is densely imbued with the artist's intention and aesthetic sense. A scene that can only be created by entrusting it to the flames - but this scene is guided by the artist's hands and senses. The earth of Shigaraki and the randomness of the flames. And the eyes that discern them. All of these things reside in Yanagishita's bowls. When you hold it in your palm, you will feel the gentle warmth and the memory of the wood-fired kiln will be transmitted to your fingertips. And the moment you make tea, the faint echoes of the flickering flames are revived in the bowl.

Hideki Yanashita Profile
Ceramicist 1967 –
Born in Tokyo, Yanagishita is currently based in Iga, Mie Prefecture. Fascinated by pottery from the Momoyama period, he embarked on the path of 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, Yanagishita has been creating a wide variety of works , including Raku ware, Yakishime, Ido, and Oribe, while deeply exploring the world of wabi-sabi from his own unique perspective. An important theme in Yanagishita's creations is the quest for 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 is timeless, and invite the viewer into a deeper world of art.

Base of operations : Iga, Mie Prefecture