Black Glazed Matcha Chawan — Hand-Shaped Half-Cylinder Form, Glossy Iron Glaze

This matcha bowl (chawan) is a black-glazed tea bowl with a deliberately irregular, sculptural presence. The walls rise almost straight from a rounded base in a half-cylinder form (hanzutsu), then are pressed and dented by hand, so that the rim becomes softly squared and undulating rather than perfectly round. This intentional distortion echoes the black tea bowls of the Momoyama period (late 16th century), especially the Mino black wares known as Setoguro and Kuro-Oribe, which valued asymmetry and the visible trace of the maker's hand.

The glossy black iron glaze is far from flat. In the light it reveals depths of olive-green, deep plum and brown mottling, and it thins to a warm bronze-brown along the rim and over the ridges of the pressed walls. Where it pools in the dents, it turns darker and glassier. A fine crackle is visible in places under the glaze surface, and a few tiny pale specks where small bubbles broke during firing add to its natural character. Inside, faint spiral throwing marks descend to the well (chadamari), where the glaze gathers into a deep, glassy green-black pool that looks especially striking against bright green matcha.

The foot is tall and sturdy. Its outer ring is left unglazed, exposing a pale buff stoneware clay that contrasts strongly with the black body. Glaze has run into the recessed centre of the foot, and a spiral tool mark is visible at its centre. The glaze stops unevenly around the foot, leaving an irregular raw patch on one side, a typical result of hand-dipping.

Details:

• Origin: Japanese studio pottery in the tradition of Mino black wares (kiln/maker unconfirmed; no clear seal. Let me know if you have a box or provenance)

• Form: Matcha chawan, half-cylinder (hanzutsu) form with hand-pressed, dented walls and a softly squared, undulating rim

• Clay: Pale buff stoneware, visible at the foot

• Glaze: Glossy black iron glaze with olive-green, plum and brown mottling; thinning to bronze-brown at the rim; fine crackle in places

• Decoration: No applied motif; character comes from the hand-shaped form and glaze movement

• Base: Tall foot ring, partly unglazed, with glaze pooled in the recessed centre and a spiral tool mark

• Condition: Good secondhand condition. The irregular unglazed patch at the foot is part of the making process. Please see photos for any chips or wear

• Quantity: Single chawan only. The chasen (bamboo whisk) is shown for scale and styling and is not included

• Dimensions: (Ø) approx. 11cm x (H) approx. 8cm