White glazed tea bowl Yu Okada

Width: 13.4cm x 12.8cm Height: 9.0cm

White glaze tea bowl by Okada Masaru - "Light snow falls and quietly envelops the red soil of the earth."

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The gentleness of white glaze and the history of the tea ceremony

White-glazed tea bowls were born in China during the Song Dynasty, and in Japan, Shino ware from the Momoyama period fostered a unique aesthetic sense. As a background color that most beautifully reflects the green of matcha, tea masters since Sen no Rikyu have found in "white" the beauty of wabi and white space, inviting quiet light into the tea ceremony. This work is a bowl that has been reinterpreted with a modern sensibility while keeping this historical flow in mind.

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Soft form and design

Fluctuating rim <br data-start="280" data-end="283">The slightly distorted hexagonal ripples soften the feel on the mouth and scatter light depending on the viewing angle.

V-shaped pattern on the body <br data-start="340" data-end="343">The successive V-shaped patterns engraved on the side are reminiscent of the traces of wind blowing across mountain ridges, and the light and dark shades of the glaze create gentle shadows.

Warikoudai (high ground)
The red soil peeks out from the crescent-shaped cut into the hill, creating a powerful impression like a lump of earth peeking out from under the white snow.

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Changes in scenery brought about by firing

The flames of the kiln paint a pale grey landscape on the surface of the white glaze, and black spots that appear here and there add to the atmosphere of charcoal grains on the snow. Ash naturally falls on the rim, creating a faint burnt colour. The overlapping flames and ash create a one-of-a-kind landscape that will only deepen with the passage of time.

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Artist's thoughts

The scenery of Gojozaka in Kiyomizu, Kyoto and the misty mountains of Sumiyama in Uji. Mr. Okada Masaru believes in "capturing" these familiar landscapes in the form of his pottery, and he has entrusted the story of "snow, frost and earth" to the contrast between the white and red clay. The sharp lines of the V represent the wind blowing through, and the black spots represent the shadows of the trees. This is a bowl that, even in its silence, has a definite sense of breathing.

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Conclusion

The white glaze tea bowl , in which the light snow-like white glaze and the warmth of the red clay resonate, shows a new scene every time you turn it in your palm, adding a clear aftertaste to the "once in a lifetime" experience of the tea ceremony. Please treasure it for a long time and enjoy the changing shadows that deepen over time.