Kneaded celadon Akebono tea bowl by Suwa Sozan

Width: 13.9cm Height: 6.4cm

This "Nerikomi Celadon Akebono Tea Bowl" was inspired by the famous opening line of "The Pillow Book," "Spring is the dawn," and is a matcha bowl created using the "nerikomi" technique, in which five colors of porcelain clay - white porcelain, celadon, indigo porcelain, red porcelain, and yellow porcelain - are layered and turned in one go on a potter's wheel. As the darkness of night fades, the sky changes from ultramarine to pink and then to a faint golden hue - this instantaneous change in color is reflected in a layered gradation on the surface of the bowl, bringing an atmosphere of dawn to the tea ceremony.

molding

Curved rim

The rim is slightly curved outwards, allowing for smooth movement of the tea whisk and a smooth feel on the lips. The pale blue layer running along the rim suggests the deep ultramarine blue just before dawn.

Shallow spreading prospects

The inside of the cup is shallow, and the kneaded pattern gently converges towards the bottom. When matcha is poured into the cup, the green liquid surface is reminiscent of the first day of the year rising into the dawn sky, creating a vivid contrast of colors.

Light elevation

The base is carved low and flares outward slightly. It feels stable in the palm of your hand, and combines a light appearance with practicality. A yellow porcelain layer peeks out from the side of the base, suggesting a golden ray of dawn.

Nerikomi technique and glaze tone - The depth of the layers that hold the color of "Akebono"

Layered structure of five-colored porcelain clay <br data-start="650" data-end="653">White porcelain, celadon, blue porcelain, red porcelain, and yellow porcelain are rolled out into sheets in that order, then stacked dozens of times and rolled into a cylinder, which is then shaped on a potter's wheel as a core clay. As the clay rotates, the layers form a spiral, and stripes like the bands of clouds floating in the dawn sky spontaneously appear. No two tea bowls have the same appearance.

A veil of transparent celadon glaze <br data-start="790" data-end="793">After shaping, the entire piece is covered in a highly transparent celadon glaze and then reduced-fired. The glaze layer acts as a glassy membrane that envelops the internal layered pattern and catches the light to create a faint, misty blur. The celadon layer suggests the afterglow of the night, the red layer the rose hue of dawn, the yellow layer the sunlight just beginning to shine through, and the white porcelain layer softly blends everything together.

The feel of the glaze <br data-start="950" data-end="953">The glaze surface is smooth and smooth, and feels as if it is clinging to your fingertips. Along with the visual gradation, the tranquility of the texture soothes the mind through the palm of your hand.

Harmony with Matcha <br data-start="1335" data-end="1338">The vivid green of the matcha emerges from the five-colored layers, creating a visual effect that makes it seem as if "spring buds" have appeared inside the tea bowl.

Lighting Effects <br data-start="1409" data-end="1412">When illuminated by the warm light of lanterns and candles, the red and yellow porcelain layers glow softly, while the blue porcelain layer deepens the pre-dawn silence. The mysterious scenery is particularly striking at night.

Literary background and design

"The Pillow Book" and "Akebono"

Sei Shonagon's painting "Akebono" is a momentary feast of colors where darkness and light intertwine. Suwa Sozan IV has translated these words into layers of porcelain clay, attempting a new celadon expression that crosses the boundaries of literature and ceramics.

The development of nerikomi celadon

The "Sozan Celadon" established by the first Suwa Sozan was a master of the single-colored jade green, but the fourth generation has expanded the possibilities of celadon by incorporating color and rhythm through multi-layering. Nerikomi using five colors is rare even within the Suwa family, and requires a high level of balance between color design and firing control.

The Challenge of the Yellow Magnet Layer

Yellow porcelain is prone to oxidation and develops color easily, but it is also difficult to remove color when fired in reduction. This work adds trace amounts of iron and titanium to the kaolin, achieving a blend that maintains a pale lemon yellow color even when fired in reduction. The complementary color relationship with the indigo layer further accentuates the brilliance of "Akebono."

Fourth generation Suwa Sozan

Suwa Sozan IV (born in Kyoto in 1970) was trained by Suwa Sozan III and lacquer artist Nakamura Sotetsu XII, and succeeded to the title in 2002. Based on his research into celadon, he utilizes a variety of techniques, including Hotarude, Tobiseiji, and Nerikomi celadon , and upholds the philosophy that "each piece should have a story to tell, and be completed in harmony with the user's heart." This tea bowl is imbued with the desire to place "the infinite possibilities hidden between night and morning" in the palm of your hand, bringing a breath of spring to the moment of your tea ceremony.

The "Nerikomi Celadon Akebono Tea Bowl" is a masterpiece that recreates the spring dawn depicted in "The Pillow Book" on a vessel, incorporating the tranquil jade-colored celadon with the indigo lingering night, crimson twilight, and yellow morning light. It embodies dignity and elegance rather than extravagance, and when matcha is poured into it, the green light dyes the dawn sky. This work, the culmination of the refined sculptural sense and nerikomi techniques of Suwa Sozan IV, brings the changing of the seasons and literary sentiment to the tea ceremony, and is sure to bring a gentle breath of hope and rebirth to the hearts of those who see it.