Ima-yaki Black Tea Bowl

A black tea bowl with a slightly constricted half-tube shape that fits comfortably in one’s hand. The color is not jet black, but rather a subdued, almost sooty bamboo color. It has a mysterious texture, with a slight luster remaining in its weathered appearance and rough texture. The appearance of this bowl makes it seem as if the “wabi-sabi” aesthetic of the time it was created more than 400 years ago has been revived in the present day, transcending the passage of time.

Hideki Yanashita is a ceramic artist who respects the spirit of wabi-sabi and strives to recreate that world as it would appear in the modern age. Among Raku ware, a style of pottery which reflects the philosophy pursued by Sen no Rikyu, those made by Chojiro, the first generation of the Raku family, were initially called “Ima-yaki Chawan,” literally, “now-ware tea bowls”, for their avant-grade appearance when they first emerged on the scene. Yanashita’s “Ima-yaki Black Tea Bowl” is modeled after those works of Chojiro.

The tea bowl, formed by hand without a potter’s wheel, will gently carry the warmth of tea to your palm. You might contemplate your own heart and mind with this bowl, giving yourself up to the tranquility of the world as the path of wabi-sabi leads you.