TANSAI AKA CHAWAN - YOSHINO no SAKURA (handcrafted)

(Please note: This is one of a kind and there are never two alike, so that once sold, this will be out of stock. It takes approximately 3 weeks from the time you order this item until the date it is shipped from Japan. In extremely rare cases, it may take up to 4 weeks. If you order this item with other items, they will be shipped together.)

diameter: 4.33inch (11cm) height: 3.14inch (8cm), standard Matcha bowl size
Sophisticated Kyo Yaki (Kyoto Style)
Made by Kyoshitsu Sasaki at Kirai kiln
Op.2310

This TANSAI AKA CHAWAN - YOSHINO no SAKURA is a pale and beautiful Matcha bowl that represents the famous cherry blossom scenery of Yoshino town in Nara Prefecture. While based on the traditional Raku-yaki form, it is a masterpiece with a unique charm that is unprecedented in its history. It is like a renaissance in the history of Raku-yaki.

This Matcha bowl is made by Kyoshitsu Sasaki at Kirai kiln. Kyoshitsu Sasaki is the fourth head of Shouraku kiln. Shouraku kiln, which opened in 1903, is one of the most traditional Raku-yaki kilns in Kyoto. Raku-yaki is the highest grade Matcha bowl used for the tea ceremony in Japan. (For details of Raku-yaki: RAKU YAKI - Avantgarde to Tradition page)

The name of "Kyoshitsu" and "Kirai" are from Daitokuji temple, which was erected in 1325. The temple has had a great influence on Japanese culture and CHANOYU traditional tea ceremony, since the spirit of CHANOYU is based in Zen philosophy. It is also said that Juko Murata or Sen no Rikyu, who is the famous tea master and pioneer of the tea ceremony, maintained close relations with Daitokuji temple.

YOSHINO no SAKURA means cherry blossoms in Yoshino Town. This Matcha bowl, which beautifully depicts a famous Japanese landscape with some 30,000 cherry trees in bloom during the high season, is a completely original work of art that is unprecedented in Raku-yaki's history. A special clay is used, made by kneading yellow ochre into the white clay. The iron content in ochre makes the red coloration. This slight mixture of ochre iron creates an exquisite gradation of white and pink. The ratio of this clay preparation is very critical, which is why it produces a pale pink color with an exquisite texture. This ratio of the mixture is also the original signature of Kyoshitsu Sasaki.

This Matcha bowl undergoes three firing processes before completion. The first time is unglazed. At this stage, the Matcha bowl is entirely pink due to the iron content. It is then fired a second time with BINCHOTAN charcoal. At this stage, the area hit by the charcoal turns white. Particularly hot areas develop a black color. It is difficult to completely control these gradations, and here, one can see features that are truly unique and one-of-a-kind. The unglazed clay surface around the KOHDAI base also offers a gradation of white and pink from the BINCHOTAN charcoal as well as the sides.

The traditional TEZUKUNE technique of forming only by hand, without using a potter's wheel, creates a unique tension at the waist and mouth. The sides are also shaved with a spatula. This type of shaving was a technique that Raku Ryonyu 9th (1756 - 1834) and Raku Keinyu 11th (1817 - 1902) excelled at. Successive generations of the Raku family continued to pursue this technique with an expression of flamboyance and movement. This pattern, produced in one stroke, is a one-shot game and cannot be reworked. Such an approach was not available during the time of the first Raku Chojiro (Birth date unknown - 1589), and it expresses the very Renaissance sensibility that emerged as Raku-yaki matured.

The Renaissance, a kind of cultural revolution that emerged around the 14th to 16th centuries, meaning rebirth in French, bloomed with new ideas that were not bound by existing values. In the world of Raku-yaki, too, the artisans have sought their originality within the size limit of approximately 10 cubic centimeters and the strict rules of traditional tea ceremony manners. Kyoshitsu Sasaki has brought a new wind to the world of Raku-yaki, and his ideas have blossomed as beautifully as the cherry blossoms of Japan. Just as the Renaissance had a tremendous impact on subsequent cultural history, this Matcha bowl will leave its mark on the history of Raku-yaki.

The pale pink color due to the exquisite blending of ochre, color gradation by BINCHOTAN charcoal, and the expression of a gentle breeze by the spatula pattern create a magnificent cherry blossom landscape in Yoshino that is truly unique in the history of Raku-yaki.

Raku-yaki has a water-absorbing property. If used regularly over a long period of time, the aesthetic of the surface gradually changes. It is also a feature of using Raku-yaki that the atmosphere becomes more WABI SABI. Perfectly harmonizing the traditions passed down with the changing times and the innovations created by new and original ideas, this Matcha bowl will be a renaissance of your Green Moment. (More info: Sen no Rikyu & the ZEN spirit)