The Milky Way Saucer — Shino Wood-Fired Tenmoku Chawan

The Milky Way Saucer — Heaven in a Shallow Bowl

Of all the forms to emerge from this kiln firing, this one is the most unexpected and the most refined. Low and wide, lifted on a tall foot ring, it carries the proportions of a Song dynasty tenmoku bowl — a form that has been considered one of the most beautiful in the history of ceramics for nearly a thousand years. The exterior is quiet and ancient. The interior is a galaxy.

Why This Cup Is Priced Higher: Two qualities place #015 at the top of this collection. First, the form: a high-footed, wide-mouthed tenmoku silhouette is among the most technically demanding and historically significant shapes in East Asian ceramics. It is rare in any wood firing, and rarer still when it emerges with this degree of refinement. Second, the interior glaze: an exceptionally rich and varied field of white and grey-blue crawled glaze over a dark ground, with natural networks of iron-brown tracing between the fragments and scattered eruptions of rose and rust-red mineral — a complexity of colour and texture that rivals the finest pieces in this collection. The combination of form and interior glaze is what justifies the price.

Glaze & Surface: The exterior carries a deep iron-brown glaze scattered with fine gold and beige mineral speckling — even, quiet, and ancient in character, like the surface of a well-worn inkstone. The rim transitions to a warm grey-brown that flows cleanly to the interior edge. The interior is the centrepiece: large, rounded fragments of white and grey-blue crawled glaze cover the full inner surface, separated by wandering networks of dark iron-brown that map the space between them like river systems seen from altitude. In the lower centre of the bowl, the glaze pools and deepens — here the crawled fragments give way to larger, smoother areas of soft grey-blue, and scattered among them are points of warm rose and rust-red mineral colour, quiet and surprising. The overall effect is luminous, complex, and inexhaustible — a different bowl every time the light changes.

Form & Feel:

• High-footed tenmoku form — wide, shallow bowl lifted on a tall, compact foot ring
• Dramatically flared silhouette — narrow at the base, opening wide and cleanly to a generous rim
• 160g weight — light and poised, surprisingly delicate given the visual richness
• Smooth exterior — understated and refined against the complex interior
• Tall unglazed foot ring — dark stoneware, precise and architectural

For the Art of Tea: The shallow, wide form concentrates aroma beautifully and allows the full surface of the tea to be visible at once — making it ideal for matcha, where the green of the tea against the crawled white interior creates one of the great pleasures of ceramics. It is equally suited to light oolongs or white tea. Hold it by the foot, look into it, and take your time.

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.