LIMITED EDITION 
Combining 2 beautiful Gifts of Nature.  Lacquered Ceramics Bowl by  Shiro Yanagi (Ceramist + Urushi Forester)
 
This is not your typical glazed ceramic bowls. It is coated with Japan-grown premium-quality urushi.  This is Lacquered Stoneware.   The bowl was hand-thrown by Yanagi using clay from historic mingei potttery town Kasama. Where he applied heated layers of premium quality Japan-grown lacquer to create this uniquely rich yet durable finish. 
 
The Maker:  Shiro Yanagi is a dual-talent craftsman. 
Growing up in historic pottery town Kasama, he learned pottery from his ceramist parents. He later apprenticed as lacquer-application (nu-shi) artisan and lacquer-scraping (ka-ki-te) artisan.  He is now one of the youngest artisan in Daigo, tending the forest, cultivating Japanese lacquer and making objects using quality material from nature.  Read the Re-Start 3% here.
 
When he is not working in the forest, he would be making pottery back in Kasama, and then drive the biques back to Daigo for lacquering.  
 
PROCESS
Hence, what you see here is his unique craft work, urushi lacquer-coated pottery.
Clay as a material is more porous than wood, applying lacquer over stoneware has different steps. First "sabi" paste (a mixture of raw-urushi and tonoko clay powder)  would be applied in layers and sanded to seal and smoothen the surface. Afterwards multiple thin layers of urushi lacquer will be brushed on to seal the pottery surface. Each lacquer layer require hours of low-temperature baking and sanding. It is a process of yaki-urushi (heated lacquer), similar to lacquer-sealing process for surface of traditional cast-iron teapots.  
 
The result is a thin but durable surface over the stoneware, that has a unique sheen and tactility unlike glazed pottery.  
 
You can feel the touches of the artisan's hands, as each step, from processing the clay, to pottery-throwing, firing, and all the extensive lacquering steps are diligently done by Mr. Yanagi. "I want to make something that is composed of the finest local material from the 2 special craft towns".  Own both a piece of Kasama Pottery and Daigo Japan-grown Urushi through the work of Yanagi. 
 
These pieces are so rare, and takes a long time to produce.  We only have limited units, and will accept pre-order once they are gone.  Expect about 2 months wait for pre-order items. If you need a set, please email us to place special order. 
 
The tea bowls comes in 2 colors (outside):  Black lacquer or Ki Raw Lacquer, and the inside are matte black lacquer. 
 
The size of the bowl is great for matcha, latte, rice or soup.  
 
* Specification varies due to the nature of hand-made product. Each product is unique.
** Check our Product Care page for information on using and maintaining hand-made pottery.