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Masanori Makino

Shira Hagi Shochu Cup

Shira Hagi Shochu Cup

萩焼 焼酎カップ・白萩

$90.00 AUD
$90.00 AUD
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This simple shochu cup is covered by Makino-san's straw ash glaze, creating a wonderful canvas for the nanabake process. The porous Hagi yaki clay absorbs trace amounts of the liquids in the cup, slowly colouring the vessel in a beautiful crackling pattern over time. Makino-san dug the red clay in this vessel in Shimonoseki City. This cup is perfect for more than just shochu. It is suitable for tea, coffee, and cold drinks.

Capacity: 250ml
Diameter: 80mm
Height: 80mm

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.