This artisan matcha bowl from Shigaraki is very special and has a story that unfolds with each series produced annually. Watch this video to get started (3 min):

Live tour of Hozan-san's workshop

In this video, I guide you through Hozan-san's pottery workshop. You will discover his creative space, his pieces in production—including our Shigaraki bowls—and his tools.

Click on the play button below to start the video (3 min 50 sec).

The secret of Hozan-san's glaze

A very special technique is used to achieve the rough, "volcanic" appearance of the bowl's exterior. Watch this short interview:

Click on the play button below to start the video (3 min 31 sec).

"the background is satisfactory"

As I go through the series and use this bowl, I rediscover small details: the bottom of the bowl feels very satisfying to the touch. More specifically, the swirl pattern under the base.

Preparing matcha. When holding the matcha bowl in your hands, touch the bottom of the bowl with your middle finger. Rest your index and ring fingers on the sides of the textured rim. Bring the bowl to your nose and smell the matcha. Take a first sip. Experience the aroma and flavour. Then the length of the inter-cups. Repeat. Meditate.

Photo reportage

I returned to view our artisan partner in May 2019. During this visit, bowls from a new series were being made:

Above are 20 bowls in the "biscuit" stage. Their shape is 30% larger than the final result because they will shrink during the final firing.

They have already been fired twice in the potter's kiln, and you can view the glaze on the inside.

Here is our potter posing in front of his kiln:

His art has been passed down from father to son for three generations. His specialty is creating small quantities of artisan pieces.

Here he is in front of one of his shelves: he keeps at least one piece of each creation.

This is what her workshop looks like:

All of his pieces are created by hand with templates that he made himself:

The two curved pieces of wood on the left are used to shape the curves of the bowl. And on the right is a bamboo ruler used to calibrate the height and depth of the bowl.

The artisan nature of these works means that each series will have a slightly different appearance due to the firing and shaping conditions, which always have a semi-random component.

Preparing matcha tea

When preparing matcha tea, leave most of the bowl empty to admire the colour of the matcha and the pearly white during your own matcha tea ritual. Note the texture and reflections of the matcha.

This artisanal bowl also has the features of a summer bowl because its edges are open, allowing heat to dissipate more easily.

The bottom of the bowl is rounded and its capacity is particularly suited to preparing 130-150mL.

Differences between Japanese and Western pottery

First of all, the material is different: while we use a mixture of soils (clay, marl, silica), most Japanese potters use only clay.

Since we hold the bowls in our hands to admire them before bringing them to our mouths for tasting the matcha tea, great attention is paid to the texture of the bowl and how it transmits heat.

Another very different element is that in the West, we often use a set of identical cups, whereas in Japan, we may have many different cups. Originally, in the tea ceremony, it was the host's responsibility to choose a selection of cups that went well together to please their guests.

Finally, the Japanese find beauty in the "accidental" distortions and irregularities of pottery and its glaze. Wear and tear rounds the edges of bowls and embellishes them. This is the concept of wabi-sabi.

The original story of this bowl

In 2018, I was looking for handcrafted bowls made in Japan, so I went to Karatsu: it is one of the three main pottery regions in Japan, along with Arita and Shigaraki (and there are many other pottery regions).

I visited the homes of 13th-generation artisans! Their creations are very elegant and very expensive. Prices started at 50,000 Japanese yen (~$400) and went up to legendary creations costing over 1 million yen (>$8,000).

I wasn't satisfied because I really wanted to offer the experience of an artisanal bowl from one of these well-known terroirs in Japan at a more affordable price.

I visited the Shigaraki region, where I found a small artisan's house.

A man sat in his studio, completely absorbed in his flow, creating pots from local clay.

We observed him for 20 minutes. He never once met our gaze; he was completely absorbed in his art.

He welcomed us with his parents, who explained that they are the second generation and that their son is the third generation of artisans in their family.

They organise themselves to buy the special soil from this region from the local cooperative, and they create custom-made items for tea shops in Japan.

I was very excited to work with this family of artisans to create a matcha bowl.

At first, they didn't agree to work with us because it seemed too complicated and intimidating to handle international dispatch.

We reassured them, and they agreed to make a few pieces for us to try out this new collaboration.

The result is this artisan matcha tea bowl from Shigaraki.

The interior and exterior textures have a lot of character:

• One is rough and raw to the touch, yet sophisticated with very interesting reflections.
• The other is a smooth, pearly white that is pleasant to drink and observe the green of the matcha tea.

My favorite little detail is the bottom of the bowl in the middle—there is a mini bowl inside the bowl, which collects the suspended matcha tea and offers a final sip that is a little more concentrated and very pleasant.

I hope you enjoy tasting your daily matcha in this artisan bowl from Shigaraki.

Enjoy the tasting!