Nezumi Shino Chawan

This Akazu-yaki Nezumi Shino chawan (matcha bowl) has a classic blue-grey glaze and is decorated with a traditional kikkō (亀甲 - tortoiseshell) motif. These bowls were designed and produced as a collaboration between Tezumi and Katō Hiroshige of Kasen Kiln.

Following the traditional Nezumi Shino technique, each bowl was hand-thrown and then the design is painted on using a clay paste. On top of this, the entire surface is coated with iron-rich oni-ita, and the clay paste of the design areas is scraped off, revealing the bare clay underneath. Finally, the bowl is given a feldspar-rich white Shino glaze. In the design areas, the white is visible, but where it overlaps with the iron-rich oni-ita which fires into a brown or black, the two layers combine to produce a soft blue-grey. Areas where the Shino glaze is thin show more oni-ita and appear brown.
Each bowl is handmade, glazed, and painted by Katō Hiroshige, using natural materials from the area surrounding his workshop.