"First Raku, second Hagi, third Karatsu" is a known saying in Japan in regards to their preference of teaware. What has always amazed me is how easy it has been for me to find quality Hagi yaki online, but I do not think I have yet seen a Raku yaki piece that is not a Chawan. And while I have found a source for quality Karatsu it comes from only a single artist.
The artist that produced this Karatsu Yunomi is Kimata Kaoru, and I will say it is stunning. I have been branching out from my love of Hagi Yaki. In doing so I have discovered I may have been wrong to believe that I loved Hagi Yaki most of all Japanese teawares.
Not only is this a rustic and simple elegance, it also stains. this is two things I loved about Hagi. The colors are much more natural than some Hagi colors. While the glaze does not crawl, at certain times I feel Hagi's crawling is a bit in excess, or comes in colors I do not find favorable. One thing I had loved about Hagi is that it stains in cracks, and shows how much use/ love it has gotten.
As seen by these two pictures this Karatsu piece is clearly staining (and quickly too, these photos were taken after 1 session of Sencha). I look forward to seeing this piece change and I can not wait to see how it develops.
Nice piece, Adam.
ReplyDeletefor me it will be Karatsu first and then the rest:)
Best
Petr