Bizen bowls are fired in Bizen, Okayama Prefecture, without any glaze at all: clay and fire alone produce the appearance. They embody the most classical form of yakishime, unglazed stoneware.
History
Bizen is one of the six ancient kilns, with a history running back to the Heian period. From the Momoyama period onward it produced bowls, water jars, and flower vessels in quantity, and the richness of its clay was prized by wabi practitioners.
Types
The unglazed clay surface, hidasuki (marks left by straw wrapped around the piece), sangiri (ash coverage), and goma (natural ash glaze) are the points of interest. Where a piece stood in the kiln changes its appearance substantially, so no two are alike.
In practice
Bizen suits restrained arrangements and wabi gatherings, where clay and fire are the subject. The brightness of hidasuki gives one of the few decorative effects available within a wholly unglazed ware.
About this article
Edited by the operator of Chaen (a one-person operation) / Last updated:
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