Japanese Ofukei Matcha Bowl - 加藤裕重 Hiroshige Katō - Blue-Green Pouring Chawan - 350ml

This slightly distorted Ofukei spouted chawan was designed and produced as a collaboration between Tezumi and Hiroshige Katō of Kasen Kiln. Each bowl was hand-thrown and then manually distorted into a delightfully playful gourd shape before being glazed in the traditional Ofukei (御深井) style unique to Akazu-yaki. The ofukei glaze on this chawan consists of a base layer of a feldspar-rich ash glaze which fires into a celadon-esque green with beautiful crazing. The deep blue comes from gosu (呉須), a cobalt oxide-rich pigment traditionally used in blue-and-white porcelain.

Please note that due to the organic nature of hand-carving, glazing, and painting, there are variations between pieces, with each bowl being unique in shape and design. Five pieces are pictured above to display these natural variations.

Hiroshige Katō is a 14th generation potter, and the 12th head of Kasen Kiln, based in the Akazu hills in Seto. In the early Edo period, his family was one of four protected by the Tokugawa Shogunate in order to fire tea ceremony utensils for Nagoya Castle. These Oniwa-yaki (garden fired) wares for the Nagoya Tokugawa developed into a style called Ofuke (御深井). His family's kiln is the only remaining of those original four.

Hiroshige-san specializes in traditional Mino and Seto styles such as Shino and Oribe, as well as the Akazu-yaki speciality of Ofuke. In addition, Hiroshige-san loves developing new styles and pursuing his own unique artistic expression.

Kuro-Oribe (黒織部 - Black Oribe) bowls were developed by the visionary chajin Furuta Oribe in the late 1500s/early 1600s. Their free-flowing paintings and playfully distorted shapes epitomise Oribe's aesthetic philosophy of hyouge (ひょうげ/剽げ/へうげ) which roughly translates to ‘playful’, ‘charming’, ‘jocular’, etc.

Although Green Oribe is the most popular style of Oribe ware today, Kuro-Oribe chawan actually make up the majority of the famous Oribe bowls from the late Sengoku and early Edo periods as the black glaze contrasts elegantly with the green of matcha. Green oribe, or Ao-Oribe was typically reserved for plates and serving wares.

Akazu-yaki (赤津焼), from Akazu in Aichi Prefecture, is often seen as merely a subset of Seto-yaki, however Akazu is one of the oldest pottery sites in the region was also the official kiln site for the Tokugawa family in Nagoya castle, with Akazu potters also firing wares in the castle garden. Many of the styles associated with Mino-yaki were originally developed in Akazu. The turmoils of the Sengoku Era caused potters to flee the Seto region over the mountains to Mino. Today, the Akazu traditions are upheld by roughly a dozen potters.

Oribe-yaki (織部焼) is a type of Japanese pottery known for its free-flowing glazes and asymmetrical, hand-formed shapes. Dating in the late 16th century, Oribe ware takes its name from legendary tea master Furuta Oribe (古田 織部) who is believed to have played a large part in its development. Oribe wares are decorated with abstract designs and splashes of free-flowing vibrant green or deep black glaze. With these distorted shapes and novel decorations, Oribe-yaki exudes a charm that matches Furuta Oribe’s philosophy of hyouge (へうげ) or playfulness. One of the most popular styles of Oribe ware is Ao-Oribe or Green Oribe, which is decorated with geometric patterns painted with an iron glaze and then partially covered in a vibrant green copper-sulfate glaze which contrasts against the light background.

Dimensions:

16cm (6.3in) - width
8.1cm (3.2in) - height
350ml - capacity

Condition: New

This Japanese item ships from the United States.