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Masanori Makino

Hagi Yaki Chawan Tea Bowl

Hagi Yaki Chawan Tea Bowl

Regular price $350.00 AUD
Regular price Sale price $350.00 AUD
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This beautiful tea bowl is a stunning example of Hagi yaki ceramics. Makino-san's soft ash glaze allows the bowl's form and clay body to shine through. Makino-san dug the clay for this bowl by hand in Shimonoseki City. The foot of the bowl is formed by placing the piece on a shell when firing. This traditional technique allows traces of the shell to remain in the foot after firing. The final loquat colour is one of the more sought after styles in Hagi yaki chawan tea bowls.

Hagi yaki is highly regarded in Japan as a premium choice of teaware. The porous nature of Hagi yaki allows the matcha tea to absorb into the clay, seasoning the vessel for fuller flavour in subsequent brews. This process can also change the colour of the vessel over time, developing a unique bond with its user. 

This completely unique piece comes in a custom made wooden box signed by Makino-san.

Height: 85mm
Width: 115mm

Origin

Handcrafted in Hagi

Masanori Makino

On our most recent trip, Makino-san and his wife welcomed us into their studio in the quiet outskirts of Hagi City. Positioned at the entrance of his gallery store, Makino-san proudly displays his certificate as a Certified Master of Traditional Crafts (Dentōkugei-shi). A true custodian of the traditional art form of Hagi Yaki, Makino-san is recognised as one of the hardest work Hagi Yaki artisans in the city. Only firing once per year, he spends the rest of the year preparing the materials and vessels for the next firing. He carries out every step of the process by hand, including digging his own clay, cutting down the trees and collecting the rice straw for his ash glazes, and crafting every unique piece by hand on his kick wheel. In 2018, Makino-san built the newest climbing kiln in Hagi, maybe the last step kiln to be built in the region.

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Masanori Makino standing in front of his climbing kiln in Hagi

No two pieces by Makino-san are alike, every vessel is a rare taste of a centuries old art form.

Makino-san works tirelessly to perform every step of the crafting process by hand, using traditional Hagi yaki techniques and principles. He focuses on crafting each piece with intention. Each year, his kiln is loaded with the year's worth of vessels and woodfired to finish his beautiful creations.

We feel privileged to hold a few of his limited pieces in our collection.