The Lava Bowl — Shino Wood-Fired Chawan

The Lava Bowl — Maximum Force, Maximum Fire

This is the largest, heaviest, and most physically intense piece in the collection. The crawled glaze has reached its absolute limit here — massive, deeply ridged fragments cover every surface in thick, three-dimensional formations that rise and fall like cooled lava, like the skin of a prehistoric creature, like the surface of a planet seen from low orbit. It does not ask to be admired from a distance. It demands to be held.

What Sets This Bowl Apart: The scale of the crawled glaze on this piece is exceptional — the individual fragments are among the largest produced in this firing, each one a substantial raised island of grey-white and sandy glaze separated by deep iron-black channels. The cumulative effect is a surface of distinctive three-dimensional depth, more sculptural relief than glaze. At the upper shoulder, a band of blue-grey metallic lustre — the same reduction effect seen on The Aurora Cup — adds a luminous, almost molten quality to the already dramatic surface. The rim, formed entirely by the glaze crawling and erupting at the edge of the clay, is irregular, volcanic, and unlike any manufactured edge: it is the direct record of what happened at the peak of the firing.

Glaze & Surface: The exterior carries an extreme crawled glaze in grey-white, sandy beige, and deep iron-black, with fragments so large and raised that the cup must be felt to be fully understood. The glaze is thickest at the shoulder and rim, thinning slightly toward the foot. Interior surfaces are rougher and more raw in character — the inside of the bowl shows the unmediated texture of the firing without the concentrated glaze of the exterior. The foot ring is wide, dark, and unglazed — raw stoneware in direct contrast to the dramatic surface above.

Form & Feel:

• Wide, generous chawan form — the largest in the collection
• 460g weight — substantial; requires both hands; commands full attention
• Extreme crawled exterior — the most tactilely intense surface in this firing
• Irregular volcanic rim — formed entirely by the glaze; not uniform; not smooth
• Wide dark foot ring — unglazed stoneware, stable

For the Art of Tea: The wide form and commanding weight make this the most presence-heavy bowl in the collection — ideal for matcha, for slow gongfu sessions shared between two, or for use as the centrepiece of a tea table. It is not a subtle cup. It is a statement. Hold it with both hands, feel the surface under your fingers, and let the tea do the rest.

One of a kind. Wood-fired in a single kiln firing. Never to be repeated.

Care

Suitable for contact with tea. Hand wash gently and avoid abrasive cleaners. Variations and firing marks are part of this one-of-a-kind handmade piece.