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What makes these hagi ware cups special
The up close look and feel
The craquelé on Hagi-yaki is finer than on most Japanese stoneware: up close it reads as a dense irregular network rather than the larger cracks of Shino or Oribe.
The gohonte patches are not painted or applied: they come from the clay itself, from iron-bearing inclusions in the clay body that burn through the glaze at different temperatures.
Each cup comes out of the kiln with a different pattern. The unglazed foot is warm and slightly rough, the contrast between it and the milky glaze above it immediate when you pick the cup up.
Charming details
The kiri-kodai, the triangular notch cut into the foot, is one of the most discussed details in Japanese ceramics. One theory holds that the original Hagi potters cut these notches to make pieces ungiftable as tribute to the Mōri clan, allowing them to sell freely at markets.
Whatever its origin, the cut foot has remained a mark of the Hagi tradition for four hundred years, and finding it on an everyday yunomi pair signals that the maker considered daily use objects worth the same level of craft attention as formal tea ceremony ware.
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Type: yunomi pair (everyday tea cups)
Style: Hagi-yaki (萩焼), one of Japan's three great tea ceramics alongside Raku and Karatsu. Gohonte glaze with kiri-kodai notched foot.
Kiln: 天鵬 Tenpō gama, Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture
Glaze: milky white Hagi glaze with gohonte pink and salmon spots
Clay: Mishima clay, warm salmon-orange at the unglazed foot
Foot: kiri-kodai, triangular notch cut into the base
Signed: impressed kiln seal on base of each cup
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Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Shōwa period.
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Diameter: approx. 9.5 cm each
Height: approx. 7 cm each
Combined weight: approx. 376 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
Meet our other tea ceremony items
Questions before you buy?
Since my items are one-of-a-kind pieces, I want to ensure they reach you perfectly.
Questions about the history or condition?
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