12th Tahara Tobei Hagi Tea Bowl - Warm White Chawan with Signed Box and Cloth

Experience authentic Japanese tea ceremony ceramics with this 12th Tahara Tobei Hagi Tea Bowl. This Warm White Chawan serves as a Hagi Ware Chawan and Intangible Cultural Property Art, featuring Classic Hagi Form and Delicate Kannyu Network—a must-have for any Tea Collector seeking Yamaguchi Pottery and Wabi Sabi Ceramics.

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🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]

• Artist: 12th Tahara Tōbei (十二代 田原陶兵衛)
• Technique: Hagi warm white glaze with kannyu (crazing)
• Era: Contemporary (Heisei–Reiwa period)
• Origin: Nagato, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan – Tahara kiln lineage
• Dimensions: Diameter approx. 13.7 cm × Height approx. 8 cm (5.4" × 3.1")
• Box: Tomobako with cloth wrapper (共箱共布)
• Condition: Good – no cracks, chips, or repairs

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🔹 [ CULTURAL & ARTISTIC INSIGHT ]

Where the 12th Tahara Tōbei’s taller works project vertical presence, this chawan settles into a more traditional Hagi proportion—wider than it is tall, cradling naturally in cupped palms. The warm white glaze carries the particular softness that Hagi ceramics are celebrated for, a quality that cannot be replicated by industrial means. It emerges only from the dialogue between Daido clay, feldspar glaze, and the wood-fired kiln.

The foot ring bears the inscription “陶兵衛” (Tōbei)—the maker’s name carved directly into the clay before firing. This is not applied afterward but integral to the form, fired into permanence. The crazing throughout the surface creates a dense network of fine lines, each one a future pathway for tea to enter and begin the bowl’s slow transformation.

*"The hand knows this shape before the eye does. Four centuries of muscle memory live in the curve."*

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🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY ]

**Traditional Proportion**: This bowl embodies the classical Hagi chawan profile—open, welcoming, grounded. The wider mouth-to-height ratio creates generous interior space for whisking matcha, while the lower center of gravity gives the bowl stability and a sense of settled calm.

**Warm White Palette**: Tōbei’s warm white differs from the blue-white tones found in some Hagi work. Here, the glaze leans toward cream and warm white warmth, suggesting the clay body’s influence is stronger. The surface absorbs light rather than reflecting it, creating the matte luminosity that tea practitioners describe as “quiet.”

**The Tōbei Signature**: The foot inscription “陶兵衛” connects this bowl directly to the Tahara lineage. The name itself carries historical weight—Tōbei has been the hereditary professional name for the family’s master potter since the Edo period. Each generation inherits not just the name but the accumulated knowledge and kiln wisdom of their predecessors.

**Companion to Practice**: This chawan’s compact form and traditional proportions make it immediately functional for daily tea practice. The kannyu network will respond to regular use, developing patina that records the owner’s tea history in the glaze itself.

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🔹 [ 日本語解説 ]

【基本情報】
• 作家：十二代 田原陶兵衛
• 技法：萩白釉・貫入
• 時代：現代（平成〜令和）
• 産地：山口県長門市・田原窯
• 寸法：口径約13.7cm × 高さ約8cm
• 付属：共箱・共布
• 状態：良好

【解説】
十二代田原陶兵衛による萩焼茶碗。山口県指定無形文化財保持者の手による、温かみのある白萩釉の茶碗です。やや広めの口径に対して低めの姿は、萩茶碗の伝統的なプロポーションを踏襲。手に取った時の安定感と包み込むような形が特徴です。高台には「陶兵衛」の銘が刻まれ、全面に繊細な貫入が入ります。共箱・共布付き。

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🔹 [ SHIPPING & PACKAGING ]
• Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days
• Carrier: Japan Post EMS / UPS (with tracking)
• Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials

*Wider, lower, quieter. This bowl does not rise to meet you—it waits where your hands already know to go.*