{"product_id":"yellow-ash-glaze-matcha-bowl-by-kato-shunto-seto-kiln-signed-tomobako","title":"Yellow Ash Glaze Matcha Bowl by Kato Shunto — Seto Kiln, Signed Tomobako","description":"Experience Authentic Japan Art with this Yellow Ash Glaze Matcha Bowl. This Kato Shunto Chawan serves as a Japanese Ceramic Tea Bowl and Seto Kiln Pottery, featuring Ki-Hai-Yu Ash Glaze Ceramic and Intangible Cultural Heritage Artist—a must-have for any Art Collector seeking Handmade Mino Seto Stoneware, a Signed Wooden Box Tea Bowl, or a Wabi-Sabi Tea Ceremony Bowl worthy of a Japanese Art Gift.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]\u003cbr\u003e• Artist: Kato Shunto (加藤舜陶) — Aichi Prefecture Intangible Cultural Heritage holder, Seto\u003cbr\u003e• Technique: Ki-hai-yu (黄灰釉) — yellow ash glaze fired in Ryugama (dragon kiln \/ anagama-style)\u003cbr\u003e• Era: Late Showa to Heisei period (est. 1970s–1990s)\u003cbr\u003e• Origin: Seto, Aichi Prefecture, Japan (Mino-Seto tradition)\u003cbr\u003e• Dimensions: Diameter approx. 12 cm, Height approx. 8 cm\u003cbr\u003e• Box: Tomobako (artist's own signed wooden storage box) with calligraphed lid inscription 黄灰釉茶碗\u003cbr\u003e• Condition: Excellent — no cracks, chips, or repairs; fine natural crazing across the glaze body\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ CULTURAL \u0026amp; ARTISTIC INSIGHT ]\u003cbr\u003eThe ki-hai-yu glaze — a compound of wood ash and iron-rich stone feldspar — occupies a poetic borderland between yellow and grey, between warmth and restraint. Fired in Kato Shunto's Ryugama (dragon kiln), the glaze responds to shifting atmospheric conditions inside the kiln chamber: reduction draws out mossy olive deepness, while oxidation bleaches the shoulder to a soft amber ochre. The result is not a color chosen by the artist but a conversation between earth, fire, and time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the hand, this chawan feels neither heavy nor hollow — a balance that took Kato Shunto decades to master. The throwing lines visible as gentle horizontal ridges across the body are left intentional: they catch the light differently at each angle, animating the surface without ornamentation. The small iron-spot at the inner lip is not a flaw; it is a witness mark of the kiln's breath.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKato Shunto (1927–2007) was designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage holder of Aichi Prefecture — one of the highest regional artistic recognitions in Japan — for his lifelong mastery of Seto's ancient ceramic traditions. His Ryugama (anagama-type dragon kiln) produced work in deliberate dialogue with Momoyama-era Mino aesthetics: unhurried, tactile, grounded in the philosophy of *mono no aware* — the quiet beauty of things that pass.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe tomobako (共箱), hand-inscribed by Kato Shunto himself and sealed with his personal red inkan, is integral to the work's provenance. In Japanese ceramic culture, a signed original box is not merely packaging — it is the artist's affirmation that this specific object left his hands as a complete, named work.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs morning light touches the glaze at the rim, the olive deepens to forest shadow and the amber base glows like weathered stone. The bowl holds stillness the way old moss holds rain — without effort, without end.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY ]\u003cbr\u003eKi-hai-yu (黄灰釉), or yellow ash glaze, is among the most demanding of classical Japanese ceramic glazes to control. Unlike feldspathic glazes with predictable chemistry, ash glazes are composed of wood ash — most commonly pine, cedar, or oak — mixed with local stone powder and clay slip. The mineral composition varies with the source wood, the season of burning, and the potter's blending ratio, meaning no two batches behave identically. This inherent unpredictability is precisely what collectors prize: each firing becomes its own event, and each surviving piece carries the record of that singular atmospheric moment.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKato Shunto fired his ki-hai-yu pieces in a Ryugama — an elongated climbing kiln (anagama derivative) built into a hillside at Seto. The dragon kiln enables high-temperature reduction firing over extended periods, sometimes exceeding 72 hours. During reduction, oxygen is starved from the chamber; iron compounds in both the clay body and the glaze shift toward ferrous states, producing the characteristic olive-green and amber tones seen on this chawan. Subtle crazing — the fine network of hairline fractures visible across the surface — occurs as the glaze contracts differently from the clay body upon cooling; in ki-hai-yu ware, this crazing is valued as a mark of technical authenticity and becomes more pronounced and beautiful with use as tea stains the lines.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWithin the Seto tradition, Kato Shunto occupies a distinct position. Seto (瀬戸) has been producing glazed ceramics since at least the Kamakura period (12th–14th century), and is one of the Six Ancient Kilns of Japan. While Seto's industrial ceramics became mass-produced in the Meiji era, master potters like Kato Shunto maintained the hand-thrown, single-kiln-fired tradition that traces directly to Momoyama-era chawan culture. His ki-hai-yu work echoes the aesthetic philosophy of Furuta Oribe and the Mino tradition — rustic irregularity, earthy richness, and a deliberate rejection of symmetrical perfection.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor the contemporary collector, this chawan occupies a compelling intersection: it is the work of a formally recognized master (Intangible Cultural Heritage holder), produced in a revered technique, in a documented tradition, and authenticated by the artist's own signed tomobako. Pieces from artists of this designation rarely appear outside of established Japanese auction houses. Its acquisition represents not merely an aesthetic choice, but a considered act of cultural stewardship.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ 日本語解説 ]\u003cbr\u003e【基本仕様】\u003cbr\u003e・作家：加藤舜陶（かとうしゅんとう）— 愛知県無形文化財保持者、瀬戸窯\u003cbr\u003e・技法：黄灰釉（きはいゆう）— 龍窯（穴窯系登り窯）による焼成\u003cbr\u003e・年代：昭和後期〜平成期（推定1970〜1990年代）\u003cbr\u003e・産地：愛知県瀬戸市（美濃・瀬戸系陶芸の伝統）\u003cbr\u003e・寸法：口径 約12cm、高さ 約8cm\u003cbr\u003e・箱：共箱（作家自筆・蓋裏に「黄灰釉茶碗」と墨書、赤印押し）\u003cbr\u003e・状態：優品 — ヒビ・カケ・補修なし。釉面に自然な貫入あり\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e【文化的背景と美的考察】\u003cbr\u003e黄灰釉は、木灰と鉄分を含む長石・土灰を調合した釉薬で、焼成環境によって黄緑から黄褐色まで微妙に変化します。加藤舜陶が操った龍窯（登り窯）は、72時間以上に及ぶ長時間焼成と还元炎の制御により、釉薬中の鉄分がフェロ状態に移行し、この茶碗に見られる苔色から琥珀色の階調が生まれます。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e轆轤目（ろくろめ）と呼ばれる横の挽き筋が胴部に残されているのは意図的なものです。光の角度によってその陰影が動き、装飾のない器に静かな生命感を与えています。内側の口縁付近に見える小さな鉄点は、窯の大気が残した証言です。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e加藤舜陶（1927〜2007）は、瀬戸焼の伝統的技法を守り抜いたことで愛知県無形文化財の指定を受けた名工です。桃山期の美濃陶芸が育んだ「不整の美」「土の温かみ」を現代に継承しており、その作品には茶道における「もの哀れ」の精神が息づいています。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e【深層解説】\u003cbr\u003e黄灰釉は日本陶芸における最も制御困難な釉薬のひとつです。使用する木灰（松・杉・楢など）の種類・燃焼季節・調合比率によって化学組成が毎回異なり、同じ釉調は二度と再現できません。この不再現性こそ、コレクターが灰釉作品に高い価値を見出す理由です。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e龍窯での长時間焼成によって生じる貫入（かんにゅう）— 釉面に走る細かなひびのような網目 — は欠陥ではなく、正統な技術証明として珍重されます。使用を重ねると茶渋が貫入に染み込み、景色がさらに深まります。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e瀬戸は鎌倉時代（12〜14世紀）から施釉陶器を生産し続けてきた日本六古窯のひとつです。明治以降の産業化の波の中でも、加藤舜陶は桃山時代の茶碗文化に直結する手轆轤・単窯焼成の伝統を守りました。その仕事は、古田織部が育んだ美濃の精神 — 完全な対称を意図的に拒む、大地に根ざした不整の美 — を現代に受け継ぐものです。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e共箱（ともばこ）は作家自筆の墨書と赤印が押された真正品です。日本陶芸の文化において、共箱は単なる梱包材ではなく、作家が「この器は自分の手から完成した作品として送り出す」という証明です。愛知県無形文化財保持者の作品が流通することは稀であり、その入手は美的選択を超えた文化的保全の行為といえます。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ SHIPPING \u0026amp; PACKAGING ]\u003cbr\u003e• Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days\u003cbr\u003e• Carrier: Japan Post EMS \/ UPS (with tracking)\u003cbr\u003e• Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials","brand":"The Modern Zen Archive","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":61954421096818,"sku":"260618_a_2982","price":707.0,"currency_code":"AED","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/5680\/3698\/files\/m21014292045_1.jpg?v=1781796386","url":"https:\/\/checkout.themodernzenarchive.com\/products\/yellow-ash-glaze-matcha-bowl-by-kato-shunto-seto-kiln-signed-tomobako","provider":"The Modern Zen Archive","version":"1.0","type":"link"}