The Volcanic Stone Cup — Shino Wood-Fired Chawan

The Volcanic Stone Cup — Born of Fire and Mineral

Pick this cup up and the association is immediate: volcanic rock, pulled from the earth still warm. The surface has the exact character of hardened lava — porous, complex, and deeply textured — the result of a long wood firing in which iron, ash, and mineral compounds fused and erupted across the clay in patterns that no human hand could plan or replicate. It is a cup that looks like geology.

Glaze & Surface: The exterior carries a dense, multi-layered glaze in tones of iron-rust, dark grey-brown, and warm beige, across which white mineral fragments have erupted and spread in irregular formations — some elongated, some rounded, all organic. Between and around these formations, the glaze is covered in fine gas pinholes and micro-craters, the signature of volcanic activity at the kiln's peak temperature. The overall surface pattern recalls leopard skin, lichen, or the cooled surface of a lava flow: complex, living, and inexhaustible to examine. At the interior rim, a ring of soft grey-blue lustrous glaze has pooled and settled — quiet and luminous against the turbulent exterior, visible from above as a calm border to an active landscape.

Form & Feel:

• Low, wide chawan form — full-bellied, gently narrowing toward the rim
• Slightly inward-curving rim — contained and cupped; comfortable to drink from directly
• 230g weight — solid and grounding
• Highly textured exterior — the pinholes and mineral surface are very tactile
• Small unglazed foot ring — dark stoneware, compact and stable

For the Art of Tea: The wide, low form and inward rim make this an excellent matcha bowl — the opening is generous enough for the whisk while the cupped shape holds warmth well. The dark, complex interior adds depth to the colour of the tea. It is equally well suited to gongfu cha, served as a sharing bowl, or used for any tea you want to drink with both hands and full attention.

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.