- Type
- Setoguro
- Details
- A bowl for drinking matcha. Like a mountain silhouetted against the sun, deep folds run from rim to foot and only the ridges return the light: Setoguro. A Setoguro chawan.
- Materials
- Mogusa clay (rare clay)
- Size
- φ145mm
- Height
- 130 mm
- Weight
- About 500g
- Texture
- The deep folds press clearly against the pads of your fingers, and holding the bowl by a ridge keeps it from slipping. The glossy surfaces are hard and smooth; the hollows between them are slightly rougher. The tall cylinder has a reassuring weight and settles when cupped in both hands. The foot is unglazed Mogusa clay, dry earth under the fingertips.
Features of this piece
A mountain with the sun behind it turns into a black silhouette. Across the front, deep folds run from the rim down to the foot; the hollows between them sink into shadow where the light cannot reach, and only the ridges catch the light with a hard gloss. It is as if a black mountain standing against the light had been set on the front of the bowl.
Turn the bowl and the folds lean, running on the diagonal like a mountain's shadow pushed by the wind. The rim rises and falls like a line of summits, and only its very edge pales, as though daylight had traced the mountain's outline. Toward the foot the black glaze thickens and stops, leaving the clay bare below; at the front a broad patch of clay shows through, like one sunlit corner where the shadow breaks.
Inside, the folds fall away into a smooth black, as quiet as the north face of a mountain the sun never reaches, with a single round pool of light at the bottom. Knead koicha here and the green stays deep within the black. The tall cylinder is a winter shape: it keeps the tea warm, and cupped in both hands the warmth lingers. For the length of one bowl of tea, you hold a black mountain standing against the sun.
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
Please wash by hand using a soft sponge or cloth when cleaning. Please refrain from using abrasive sponges for cleaning.
Please note
