Akazu-yaki Ao-Oribe Teacup - 100ml

This Akazu-yaki Ao-Oribe yunomi (teacup) has a wide, open shape that is distorted by three chamfered faces that spiral up the cup. Each of these faces is painted with a different abstract, geometric design. The rest of the cup features a vibrant and complex green Oribe glaze. The unique chamfers, organically uneven shape, and abstract designs make this cup a great expression of Furuta Oribe’s aesthetic philosophy of hyouge (へうげ) which roughly translates to ‘playful’, ‘charming’, ‘jocular’, ‘warped’ etc.

Each cup was hand-thrown and chamfered on the wheel before being hand-painted with the iron oxide underglaze design (鉄絵 - tetsu-e). The cup is then glazed in the traditional copper-rich Oribe glaze.

Unlike mass-produced Oribe wares which use a chemical imitation glaze, Katō-san uses the traditional recipe, fired in a combination of oxidation and reduction (rather than just oxidation). The result is a deep, complex green, with a unique sheen that can sometimes appear blue. Another side effect of this traditional method is the dull oxide film which forms on the surface of the glaze. This must be removed to allow the colour to shine through. To do this, each cup is soaked for two days in a solution called tochishibu (栃渋) which is made from horse chestnut caps. In addition to removing the oxide film from the green Oribe glaze, the tochishibu also darkens the exposed clay.

Each cup is handmade, glazed, and painted by Katō Hiroshige, using natural materials from the area surrounding his workshop.