Crowned with a Kabuto: A Bold Black Bizen Tea Bowl
A striking combination of art and tradition, this unique set features a beautifully crafted kabuto (samurai helmet) designed to rest perfectly over a matcha bowl. The deep, rich black hue is achieved by coating the piece with an iron-rich clay slip before firing. While perfect for a formal tea ceremony, this highly versatile bowl can also be used as a bold and elegant vessel for everyday dining.
Size : Bowl Ø16 × H9.5 cm / Helmet Ø25 × H23 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 : Akira Fujiwara
Born in Nara in 1981, Akira Fujiwara studied traditional ceramics in Kyoto before working at a Shigaraki kiln and training under Bizen artist Shunichi Fujimi. He later built his own climbing kiln by hand in Wake, Okayama.
Committed to using clay, water and split firewood sourced near his kiln, Fujiwara approaches pottery as bringing something into being. His matcha bowls, sake vessels and tableware express this close connection to local materials. He also creates Hikidashi Kuro Bizen, known for its striking black and silver surfaces.
STYLE & APPROACH
Committed to clay dug close to his own kiln and to firewood he prepares himself, he works less with a sense of "making" than of "bringing into being".
SPECIALITY
Matcha bowls, sake vessels, sake cups, tableware
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.