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What makes this tea set special
The up close look and feel
The glaze has a softness that photographs struggle to capture: a pale celadon blue-grey on the cups that fades toward the rim, and a warmer salmon tone on the teapot body where the clay breathes through.
The craquelé is fine and even, like frost on a window, and will deepen gradually as tea absorbs into the surface.
The cups feel light in the hand and slightly warm to the touch. The teapot sits low and balanced, with a short side handle that keeps the pour controlled. The spout interior is glazed in the same blue-grey as the cup interiors, a detail that only appears when you look inside.
Charming details
Each cup has a kiri-kodai, a small notch cut into the foot ring before firing. This is one of the most distinctive marks of Hagi ware, and its origin is as practical as it is aesthetic: the notch prevents the cup from sticking to the kiln shelf during firing, and over centuries it became a signature of the tradition.
On these cups the notch is clean and deliberate, visible when you turn a cup upside down. The unglazed foot ring beneath it shows the raw Hagi clay, warm ochre and slightly sandy, the one place on each piece where the material is completely exposed.
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This set is made by Hirose Tanga (廣瀬淡雅).
Tsubaki-gama Tenpōzan kiln (椿窯 天鵬山), Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
He signed the box.
Tanga trained under master potters Notomi Tomori and Andō Yoshiaki in Hagi.
Work selected for the Kyūshū and Yamaguchi ceramic exhibitions from Shōwa 41 (1966).
He is a full member of the Shin-Kyōkai Fine Arts Association (新協美術会) from Shōwa 55 (1980). Recipient of the Shin-Kyōkai Doryoku Prize (努力賞) in Shōwa 57 (1982).
The Tenpōzan kiln holds official 伝統工芸品 (Traditional Craft) designation from the Japanese government, trademark registration No.4-130116.
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Made at the Tsubaki-gama Tenpōzan kiln (椿窯 天鵬山), Tsubakihigashi district, Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Late Shōwa to early Heisei era, estimated ca. 1970 to 1994, based on the telephone format in the accompanying shiori.
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Kyusu:
Height approx. 8.5 cm width approx. 16.5 cm
Weight approx. 333 gr
Cups (6):
Diameter approx. 8 cm
Height approx. 5.6 cm
Total weight approx. 572 gr.
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Excellent vintage condition.
The set appears barely used, no chips, cracks or repairs visible.
Glaze and craquelé intact throughout.
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Hagi-yaki clay is porous by nature: rinse with warm water only after use, no soap.
The glaze will craze over time, and tea will slowly absorb into the clay, gradually deepening the colour.
It is what Hagi ware is made to do and what tea drinkers have valued in these bowls for centuries.
Allow to dry fully before storing in the wooden box.
*Decorative items such as the whisk are for styling
and scale purposes only and not included in the sale
All Hirose items made at Tsubaki-gama Tenpōzan kiln
Meet our other tea ceremony items
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