Mishima Matcha Chawan — Inlaid White Slip, Stamped Chrysanthemums, Brushed Slip Exterior

This wide, flaring matcha bowl (chawan) is decorated in the Mishima technique. Mishima is the Japanese name for inlaid-slip decoration that developed in Korean buncheong ware during the early Joseon dynasty (15th–16th centuries). Korean bowls of this kind were highly prized in the Japanese tea ceremony, and the technique was later taken up by Japanese kilns such as Karatsu and Yatsushiro.

The interior is decorated in concentric zones. At the centre, a cluster of stamped chrysanthemum flowers fills the well. Around it, bands of short slanting incised strokes alternate with wide fields of tiny stamped dots arranged in radiating rows, which give a woven, textile-like effect. Double lines frame each band, and a final band of slanting strokes runs just below the rim. The whole design is covered by a thin, glossy grey-green glaze that lets the warm reddish-brown clay and white inlay show clearly.

Several rough, grey patches sit among the chrysanthemums in the well. These are spur or sand marks (me-ato) left where another bowl was stacked inside this one during firing, a practice typical of Korean and Korean-derived kilns. In the tea world they are valued as an honest record of how the bowl was made.

The exterior is left undecorated apart from loose, sweeping bands of brushed white slip (hakeme) over the throwing rings, under the same grey glaze. The glaze has skipped in a few small places, and there are small glaze drips near the foot. The bowl stands on a compact, trimmed foot of unglazed reddish clay. Its open, conical profile cools the tea quickly, so bowls of this shape are traditionally favoured in the warmer months.

Details:

• Origin: Mishima ware, in the Korean buncheong inlaid-slip tradition (kiln/country unconfirmed; no visible seal. Let me know if you have a box or provenance)

• Form: Matcha chawan, wide flaring conical form on a compact foot

• Clay: Reddish-brown stoneware, visible at the foot

• Glaze: Thin, glossy grey-green transparent glaze

• Decoration: Interior inlaid with white slip (Mishima): stamped chrysanthemums in the well, bands of stamped dots and incised slanting strokes; exterior brushed with white slip (hakeme)

• Base: Unglazed trimmed foot ring showing reddish clay

• Condition: Good secondhand condition. Spur marks in the well and small glaze skips on the exterior are part of the making and firing 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) 12cm x (H) 7.5cm