Iga Silken Luster Matcha Bowl

In this piece, Iga ware artisan Fukushima Kazuhiro brings meticulous attention to achieving a captivating luminosity throughout. The matcha bowl's form flows with natural ease, the lines soft yet subtly undulating, recalling the layered ridges of a landscape or the quiet movement of water. The bowl carries both individuality and rhythm, embodying the harmony between natural inspiration and deliberate artistry.

The vessel follows the hanzutsu shape, reaching approximately seven-tenths the depth of a traditional cylindrical tsutsu chawan while offering a broader opening and lower profile. These proportions lend an expansive, grounded presence that serves both function and contemplation. Faint luster flickers along the walls, contrasting with the darker tones at the base. This interplay of light and shadow recalls dawn breaking over valleys still shrouded in darkness, lending the piece a pulsing vitality within its stillness.

The work employs the rare hikidashi technique: fired at approximately 1300°C (2370°F), the bowl is pulled from the kiln at peak temperature and rapidly cooled. This abrupt shift arrests the glaze mid-transformation, producing a brilliant sheen and a singular texture. Delicate white and gold flecks emerge across the surface, as though light itself has permeated the union of clay and flame, leaving shimmering traces behind.

This matcha bowl transcends utility to become solidified radiance and shade. In the meeting of hand and gaze, one perceives nature's energy breathing alongside the maker's intention—together forming this vital work of art.

Fukushima Kazuhiro

Born as the eighth-generation successor of the Mukai Kiln, which has thrived in Iga for over three centuries, Fukushima Kazuhiro creates ceramic works that combine the profound presence of earth with the translucent beauty of vidro glaze and the distinctive, crackled kairagi texture. While deeply rooted in tradition, his work embraces a contemporary sensibility, transforming the seemingly accidental patterns formed by fire, clay, and ash into deliberate expressions of artistry. Through this process, Fukushima opens new horizons for Iga ware, infusing each piece with striking individuality and life.

Iga Ware

Iga ware, produced in the Iga region of Mie Prefecture, is celebrated for its deep roots in Japanese ceramic history and its distinctive character. With a lineage stretching back some 1,200 years, Iga ware rose to prominence during the Momoyama period (1573–1615 CE), when it became closely tied to the aesthetics of the tea ceremony.

As a form of traditional Japanese pottery, Iga ware is admired for its robust clay, earthy texture, and the organic beauty that emerges through various firing methods. The natural ash glazing and translucent green, glass-like vidro effects created by the intense heat of the kiln reveal the expressive artistry that defines Iga ware.