Drop, Mellow, Enjoy : Bizen NEKO-DAMA
Bizen ware is traditionally known for its ability to "mellow water." It naturally softens the acidity of coffee, creating a smoother, well-rounded taste. You can easily experience this unique effect simply by dropping a "Bizen-dama" (ceramic ball) into your favorite cup.
*Important Note: If you place the Bizen-dama directly into your cup, please be sure to remove it before drinking.
Size : Ø3.5 × H3.5 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 : Shibaoka-Tousendou / Hisashi Shibaoka
Born in 1977, Hisashi Shibaoka belongs to SHIBAOKA-TOUSENDOU, a family kiln founded in Inbe, Bizen City, in 1912. He began making pottery under his father Masashi and elder brother Chikara in 2001, continuing the family’s traditional Bizen techniques.
Shibaoka creates mugs, plates, bowls, tea ware and sake vessels with everyday use in mind. Believing that pottery is treasured for years when it is comfortable and easy to use, he shapes each piece with care for both the clay and the person who will use it. His collaborations include the Starbucks JIMOTO Made Bizen Mug, produced in 2024.
STYLE & APPROACH
A pursuit of easy-to-use vessels, thought through from the user's point of view, made to be loved for many years.
SPECIALITY
Mugs, plates, bowls, tea vessels, sake 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.