Cascading Ash, Ever-Changing Landscapes : Square Tea Bowl
A striking tea bowl marked by a dramatic glaze formed from heavy ash deposits that melted and ran down its surface in the kiln. Crafted to be admired from all side, rotating this piece reveals a captivating variety of textures and rich colors across its surface.Size : approx. Ø12.5 × H9.5 cm
*As each piece is individually handmade, there may be slight variations from the item shown in the images.
*Please also note that the appearance and colour of the product may vary depending on the lighting.
About : Takashi Baba
Born in 1983 as the eldest son of Bizen ceramic artist Shosuke Baba, Takashi Baba graduated in sculpture from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2006. He brings a sculptural sensibility to Bizen ware, combining clean forms with expressive surfaces shaped by kiln firing.
His distinctive black Bizen and kiln-transformed blue Bizen explore shades of cobalt blue and gunmetal. Through tea bowls, sake cups and other vessels, Baba offers a contemporary interpretation of this traditional Japanese craft. His work has been exhibited internationally, including in London, Milan and Berlin.
STYLE & APPROACH
Even his everyday vessels are made in the spirit of sculpture — objects that happen also to be usable.
SPECIALITY
Flower vessels
What is BIZEN WARE?
Bizen ware comes from Imbe in Bizen City, Okayama - one of Japan's Six Ancient Kilns. Each piece is shaped by hand from local clay and fired with no glaze and no painted decoration, so the clay itself speaks. Fired with pine wood for 7-10 days at over 1,200 °C, it becomes a hard, dense stoneware - and no two pieces are ever alike.
The fired surface — yaki
Without glaze, every colour and pattern comes from how flame, ash and charcoal touch the piece in the kiln. Potters call these natural effects keshiki - “landscapes”.
- 窯変（Yōhen）: Buried in charcoal on the kiln floor, away from flame and air, the clay turns grey, dark grey or bluish.
- 胡麻（Goma）: Pine ash settles on the piece like sesame seeds; where it melts and runs, it is called tamadare.
- 棧切（Sangiri）: Where ash and charcoal cut off the air, grey to blue-black tones form against the redbrown clay.
- 緋襷（Hidasuki）: Straw wrapped around the piece reacts with iron in the clay, leaving scarlet lines.