Matcha Bowl — Hagi Ware Chawan by Issai Saito

This matcha bowl (chawan, 茶碗) is handmade Hagi ware (萩焼) by Japanese potter Issai Saito, thrown in the Hagi tea-ware tradition — 13 cm across, 8 cm high, and glazed in the loquat-white wood-ash glaze characteristic of the ware.

A fine kannyū (貫入) crackle breaks across the wall and interior. The glaze thins at the rim and pools toward the base, where a diagonal cut exposes the raw reddish clay of the foot — a defining trait of Hagi. The porous body is prized in the tradition for the way it matures with use: tea settles into the crackle over years, and the bowl slowly deepens in tone.

Thrown and glazed by hand. As with all Hagi ware, glaze pooling, crackle pattern, and surface tone vary from bowl to bowl; each is its own.

Renaras, an Amsterdam atelier known for its work with Japanese ceremonial silk, selects Hagi ware directly from established Japanese artisans.

Details
Height: 8 cm
Diameter: 13 cm
Material: stoneware — Hagi ware (萩焼), wood-ash glaze with kannyū (貫入) crackle
Maker: Issai Saito
Origin: Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
Care: hand-wash only
Individually made; glaze pooling and crackle are particular to this bowl