Mt. Fuji Ao-Oribe Chawan

This hand-crafted Oribe chawan (matcha bowl) features hand-painted playful iron underglaze drawing of Mt. Fuji, accented with splashes of the signature copper green glaze of Oribe wares.

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

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 bowl 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 softens the colour of the white glaze, stains the crazing, and darkens the exposed clay.