Hikidashi-shiro Chawan

Technique

Rokuro (wheel-thrown), hikidashi (引出, pulled red-hot from the kiln around 1240°C)

Surface

Hikidashi-shiro (引出白, pulled white) on one face; tankaboku (炭化黒, carbon black) on the opposite face; ginka (銀化, silvering) band between

Dimensions

15.0–16.1 cm × 8.2 cm (5.9–6.3 in × 3.2 in), diameter × height

Condition

Excellent — no chips or restoration. Made during the artist's lifetime.

Box

Signed kiri-bako (paulownia wood box), inscribed by the artist as "Kamiyahagi-de, hikidashi-shiro chawan"

Reference

HKS-J4N8X

Hikidashi (引出, to pull out) is a high-fire technique associated with the Momoyama-period Seto-Mino tea ceramics, especially Seto-guro and related Mino wares. The chawan is removed from the kiln at full heat with long iron tongs, exposed to open air, and cooled in seconds. The thermal shock fixes the surface in a way that gradual cooling cannot.

The white face is hikidashi-shiro (引出白, white pulled out), the rare white variant of the technique, which is most often associated with black Seto-guro. The opposite face is carbonized to deep tankaboku (炭化黒, carbon black); when the chawan is dipped in water before use, the black darkens further toward sumi-guro (墨黒, ink-black). Between the two faces runs a thin band of ginka (銀化, silvering), a metallic sheen formed through localized reduction during firing.

Ryōji Koie (鯉江良二, 1938–2020) is one of the most distinctive ceramic artists of postwar Japan. Born in Tokoname — one of the rokkoyō (六古窯, the Six Old Kilns) — he refused to stay inside a single tradition. He fired what other potters discarded, taught at Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts, and was elected to the International Academy of Ceramics in 1980.

This chawan was fired at his kiln in Kamiyahagi (上矢作, Gifu), in the Mino region — the historical home of Shino, Oribe, and Seto-guro. Awards include the Japan Ceramic Society Award (1992), the Chunichi Cultural Award (2005), and the Japan Ceramic Society Gold Prize (2008). His work is held in the permanent collections of the V&A, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, LACMA, and the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.

Rinse with warm water and dry on a soft cloth. Avoid soap, dishwasher, and prolonged soaking. Dipping the chawan in water before use will deepen the carbon black side.

Over years, the surface may hold traces of matcha, tea, and touch. The body deepens where the hand returns. It is not finished when it leaves the kiln; it is finished by the years that follow.

Full care notes — use, cleaning, storage, and aging — are in Living with a chawan.

Each chawan is shipped insured and tracked from Tokyo in ceramic-safe double-boxed packaging, within two business days of payment.

If the piece arrives damaged, we arrange a full refund. All duties and import taxes are included in the price — nothing is charged on delivery (DDP).

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