- Type
- Setoguro
- Details
- A bowl for drinking matcha. A straight cylinder whose outside is covered in coarse kairagi like the face of a cliff. A Setoguro chawan for koicha and the winter tea room.
- Materials
- Mogusa clay (rare clay)
- Size
- φ125 mm
- Height
- 118 mm
- Weight
- 348 g
- Texture
- Outside, the coarse ridges of kairagi meet the fingers firmly, like gripping the face of a rock. Inside it is smooth. Being a cylinder, it sits steadily in both hands.
Features of this piece
A Setoguro bowl bearing the title 墨巌, ink and rock. The straight-walled cylinder is kairagi from top to bottom: the glaze drawn into coarse crinkles like the face of a cliff weathered by wind and rain, the grain changing from one face to the next. When light falls across it at an angle, each ridge throws its own shadow, and the black takes on the depth of ink laid over dark rock.
The rim runs almost level, swaying only slightly as it goes round. Inside, the roughness of the cliff falls away to a black as quiet and smooth as the shade beneath an overhang. The green of whisked matcha stands out sharply against it.
At the foot the glaze stops in an intricate edge and the unglazed clay spreads beneath, like earth showing at the base of a rock. The deep cylinder keeps the tea warm: a chawan for koicha and the winter tea room. Cupped in both hands, the whole texture of the rock face passes into the palms.
Expected to ship within 10 business days from the date of order
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Setoguro
One from one kiln
Setoguro is renowned for its captivating, deep black color. Achieving this beautiful black involves using a glaze made from Oniita (iron-rich clay) mixed with ash. The piece is fired at high temperatures and then removed from the kiln while still hot, followed by rapid cooling—a technique known as "hikidashi-guro." This process was employed over 450 years ago and produced the elusive "Setoguro" ware for only about 30 years in the world of tea. In the tea ceremony, Setoguro is revered for its unique aesthetic value within the Japanese principles of wabi-sabi. By extracting the piece from a kiln over 1,100 degrees Celsius and cooling it quickly, the piece transforms into a deep black while producing beautiful cracking sounds (kan-nyu) as it cools. Only up to three pieces can be fired in one kiln at a time, and achieving a satisfying black is extremely challenging. It is said that getting one satisfactory piece from a single kiln firing is considered a success.
Rest for the heart - Setoguro
In a busy life, finding time just for yourself is harder than it seems. That is why a pause to stop and whisk a bowl of tea can quietly settle the heart. The black of Setoguro is a black that draws the light deep inside. Held in the hands, its depth seems to still even the noise around you. Whisked matcha turns a clear, vivid green against this black, leaving a little space to breathe, for the eyes and for the heart. The glossy black rests softly in the hand, and its gentleness at the lips loosens whatever has been held tight. A Setoguro chawan that Kato Takaya brought into being one bowl at a time. For a quiet moment, a little apart from the rush of the day.
Suitable for
Care
For cleaning, please hand wash using a soft sponge or cloth. Avoid using abrasive sponges.
Please note
