Vintage item, never used. A Hagi-yaki 萩焼 chawan (茶碗) for matcha, with a quiet grey glaze and a simple, deeply wabi-sabi character.
The bowl has a softly rounded form with a slightly irregular rim and gentle wheel-thrown lines visible around the body. Its glaze shifts through subtle tones of ash grey, blue-grey and muted brown, with small speckles and darker areas around the rim and foot created by the firing. Rather than relying on painted decoration, the beauty of the piece comes from the natural interaction of clay, glaze and kiln, giving the surface a calm and organic appearance.
The restrained finish is especially characteristic of the spirit of Hagi ware, where irregularity, softness of glaze and natural variation are valued as part of the vessel’s individuality. The slightly uneven surface and tonal changes give the bowl a strong sense of wabi-sabi (侘寂)—an appreciation of simplicity, imperfection and the beauty of handmade objects.
Hagi-yaki (萩焼) originates from Hagi in Yamaguchi Prefecture and has been closely connected with Japanese tea culture for centuries. Hagi tea bowls are admired for their warm clay bodies, soft glazes and tactile surfaces, which make them particularly well suited to matcha.
Hagi ware is also famous for Hagi no nanabake (萩の七化け), the “seven transformations of Hagi,” referring to the way a vessel’s appearance can gradually change through use as tea penetrates the fine crazing and porous clay body. This slow evolution is traditionally considered part of the charm of owning and using Hagi ceramics.
Size: 12 x 12 x 8cm
