A beautiful Hagi-yaki chawan done by well-known artist Kaneda Keien (1949-). Keien is an 8th generation potter who has been producing works for over 40 years and is the winner of several awards for excellence. A distinctive feature of his works is that they utilize an iron-rich soil collected on the island of Mishima in the Sea of Japan...

A charming akaraku chawan done by third generation potter Kato Ryusei. This piece was fired at the Akahiko Kama which has produced pottery in Aichi prefecture since 1956 and who have the distinction of being commissioned not only by the Showa Emperor and Empress but also by the later Heisei Emperor.

With a soft luminance and subtle charm, this piece would be an valued addition to the collection of any budding tea practitioner...

A captivating bowl created by Kyoto potter Kawai Zuiho, most likely in the early 70’s. This bowl features a red undercoat which is visible in places through the greenish overglaze. The effect is quite striking and sure to attract the eye. With a convenient indent on the side, this bowl fits comfortably in the hand.

Kyo-Yaki is high-fired ceramic and pottery that centers around the Higashiyama district of Kyoto...

A dazzling Hagi-ware bowl with cherry petal and earthen tones made by one of Japan's great potters. The 14th potter of the Sakakura line of potters Sakakura Shinbei XIV (1917-1975) was designated an important human cultural treasure of Yamaguchi prefecture in 1972...

This chawan was fired in the kilns of one of Kyoto’s best known raku-yaki potters, Sasaki Shoraku III (1944-). The Shoraku line began when the grandfather of the current potter established a kiln near the famous Kiyomizu temple, nestled at the foot of the eastern mountains in Kyoto. In 1945, the kiln was moved to Kameoka near the Yada shrine where it remains today.

Raku teabowls are made by hand, without the use of a potter's wheel...

This magnificent Shino-yaki chawan, done in a rediscovered Momoyama period style, came from the kilns of one of Japan’s most celebrated and talented potters.

Arakawa Toyozo (1894 - 1985), designated in 1955 as one of but a handful of National Living Treasures, is best known for rediscovering lost techniques of pottery from the Momoyama and early Edo periods...

A very elegant and mature tsutsu style chawan created by Ito Tozan III (1900-1970), third generation of the Ito Tozan line of potters. Tozan, who at one time worked in the kiln of Hamada Shoji, learned pottery from his father Ito Tozan II (1871-1937) and his grandfather Ito Tozan I (1846-1920) from a very young age...

This brilliant Tenmoku chawan displays gold and flaxen hues interspersed with dark ash glaze. The piece rests upon an unglazed clay pedestal showing the iron-rich clay the bowl is formed from.

Shodai-ware has a long and storied history stretching back as far as the Nara (710 - 794) and Heian (794 - 1192 ) periods...

This impressive han-tsutsu Shino chawan was made by the late 13th generation Mino potter Kato Seizo (1930-1979, Kagekiyo). Kato’s works are well-regarded throughout Japan and he has won a number of honors and awards over the course of his career as an artist. Not surprisingly, he is equally appreciated abroad and by foreign experts of Japanese pottery...

Occasionally as I’m browsing through the temple markets of Kyoto or perusing backstreets tea-ware shops, an attractive piece will catch my eye for no particular reason. When this happens, I typically buy it immediately without hesitation, trusting that I will be able to decipher the Chinese script and give it proper attribution through the course of my research. In this case, I was only able to make it half-way there...

Looking as though it were cast from molten rock, this chawan has a very earthy and primal feel to it. The rich clay shows through in places hinting of ochre, yellow, and even a subtle metallic blue—cleverly mimicking the way mineral formations appear in nature...

Raised, undulating ridges on a field of cobalt blue highlighted with white slip and bronze flecks around the rim, this piece conjures images of the deep and stormy sea or possibly of the vast swirling cosmos...

This lovely white Hagi chawan rests firmly on a wari kodai or “split foot.” The crackled milky glaze varies in consistency across the curves and contours of the bowl with some areas tending towards a faint brown, adding an interesting dimension to the landscape.

The creator of this piece Matsuura Mugen (1944 - ) has spent his life in the pursuit of perfecting the art of Hagi...

Located at the foot of an active volcano, the Ougaku kiln specializes in a type of pottery know as Sakurajima-yaki. The kiln is headed by Hashino Midori and run entirely by female potters who strive to infuse each piece they produce with the “energy” of the surrounding environment. Pieces such as the one featured here are made from volcanic ash and mineral-rich onsen spring water giving them a unique luster that is difficult to reproduce. In addition, each pieces is made by hand, one-at-a-ti...

This striking chawan is a fine example of Oni Shino (carbon trap and natural ash glazing) that Tsukigata is so well-known for. Coining the term in the mid-50’s after countless failed experiments—which ultimately culminated in the discovery of this unique style of pottery—“Oni” translates roughly to demon or ogre. Fired at extreme temperatures for days in an anagama, the iron in the clay and in the glaze fuse, drip, and coalesce—while at the same time blending with the molten ash of t...

The creator of this lovely Hagi chawan, Hirose Tanga (b. 1939) is the master-potter of Tenpozan kiln in the city of Hagi. When I acquired this piece I thought it reminded me of bowls produced by Yoshida Shuen (apprenticed under NLT Miwa Kyusetsu). As it turns out, Yoshida worked alongside Hirose in establishing Tenpozan and in training young potters in the art of “oni” Hagi which utilizes a rough textured clay and a milky translucent glaze (like the bowl shown here). Bowls made using this te...

A lovely Shino tea bowl fashioned from coarse Mino clay and covered in a crackled feldspar glazing. The front and sides of the bowl are decorated with paintings of abstract foliage resembling Iris leaves and the base of the bowl is unglazed, displaying rough clay. The paintings, which are applied using a ferrous glaze, along with the han-zutsu shape (half cylinder) are very typical of this type of Shino-ware.

In excellent condition, this piece measures 5 inches in diameter (12.6 cm)...

A lovely Shino tea bowl fashioned from coarse, iron-rich Mino clay and covered in feldspar glazing. The crackled glazing along with the elongated kutsugata shape (shoe shape) are very typical of this type of Shino-ware and these elements compliment each other nicely. The shape allows the chawan to rest firmly in the hands and the light-colored glaze makes a beautiful backdrop for a frothy bowl of green matcha tea.

In excellent condition, this piece measures 5.1 inches in diameter at...