Ao-Bizen Five-Sided Matcha Bowl

The Ao-Bizen Five-Sided Matcha Bowl embodies the restrained, metallic beauty of Bizen ware at its most experimental. Its cool, matte surface shimmers with an ethereal depth that shifts between blue, gray, and silver, drawing the eye into its understated complexity. From a pentagonal foot, the form unfolds into five softly flowing panels, organically stretching upward to create a harmony between structure and spontaneity.

The bowl's distinctive color emerges from a technique that Mori Toshiaki attempted for the first time in this firing. The piece was placed on the uppermost shelf at the rear of the kiln and sealed within a double-layer enclosure. Charcoal introduced into the gap between the two layers releases gases that react with the clay, producing the bowl's characteristic blue-gray tones. The precise character of the color is shaped by the fineness of the charcoal and the volume of air present—factors that are felt and adjusted rather than measured. 

Within the kiln, no outcome is fully guaranteed. The sealed enclosure limits direct flame contact, producing the bowl's signature matte finish, while the subtle movement of gases within creates variations in shade that could not be planned in advance. In this particular firing, Mori notes that the metallic shimmer emerged more strongly than anticipated, while the blue settled into a more restrained expression.

Mori finds a quiet harmony in the interplay of yin and yang: the cool, subdued tones speak to yin, while the five-sided form and gentle curves carry the expansive energy of yang. This piece is a testament to an artist’s courage to venture into the unknown, a single, resolved form born from deep respect for tradition and a bold willingness to innovate.

Mori Toshiaki

Entre los estimados linajes conocidos como Bizen Rokusei, o Seis Hornos Antiguos de Cerámica Bizen, el Horno Hozan destaca como una institución venerable. Mori Toshiaki, sucesor de la 19.ª generación, mantiene con maestría esta rica tradición, a la vez que explora nuevas posibilidades. Compaginando sus responsabilidades en el horno con sus intereses artísticos personales, Mori realiza una extensa investigación y explora enfoques innovadores tanto en las técnicas de moldeado como de cocción, ampliando los límites de la cerámica Bizen.

Bizen Ware

La cerámica Bizen es un tipo de gres tradicional producido en la zona de Imbe, en la prefectura de Okayama. Es una de las cerámicas más antiguas de Japón y se elabora mediante la técnica yakishime , en la que las piezas se cuecen a altas temperaturas sin esmaltado para que sean duraderas y resistentes al agua.

La cerámica Bizen se denomina "el arte de la arcilla y el fuego" por los exquisitos colores y patrones producidos por las llamas del horno, y se caracteriza por su diseño minimalista wabi sabi.