Kyoto Ware, Crackled in Blue
Refined by generations of Kyoto tea masters, this matcha bowl carries a turquoise glaze webbed with fine kannyu crackle. Its rounded, robust earthenware form stays undecorated, letting the crazing and a quiet wabi-sabi presence carry the piece.
Born of Kyoto’s Heritage: This piece too is authentic Kyo-yaki pottery, handcrafted using time-honored techniques and refined by centuries of Japanese artistry.
Learn more → The Art and Technique of Kyoto Ware
Restoring a Crazed Surface
Rejoining a crackle-glazed bowl asks for restraint, as each kannyu line competes with the true breaks. Maki Mizuno studied the full urushi discipline at Kyoto City University of Arts (est. 1880), bringing a watercolor sensibility to lacquer. Recognized in juried exhibitions in Japan, she restored the breaks and chip over four months with natural urushi and 24K gold, finished through roiro, the pinnacle of urushi finishing. The gold marks only the true fractures, within a tradition refined over centuries of Japanese lacquer.
Two Kinds of Lines
The bowl already carried kannyu, the fine crazing that potters court as the glaze cools. The gold seams arrived later, marking where the vessel broke. The deliberate web of the kiln and the accidental fractures of use now share one turquoise surface.
