The Cloud & Mountain Cup — Shino Wood-Fired Chawan

The Cloud & Mountain Cup — Two Worlds in One Vessel

This cup is a study in contrast. The upper half belongs to the clouds — large white crawled glaze fragments float across a deep blue-grey ground, dramatic and luminous, the same glaze pattern continuing inside the cup where it meets your eye when you drink. The lower half belongs to the mountain — warm sand and iron-rust, textured with dense gas pinholes and mineral eruptions, rough and geological. The two zones meet without ceremony, the boundary between them as natural as a skyline.

Glaze & Surface: The upper body carries a thick crawled glaze in white and cool grey-blue over a dark base: large, irregular fragments separated by deep iron channels, with a distinct blue-grey metallic quality in the recessed areas between the crawled zones — the result of strong reduction in the kiln at peak temperature. This glazed zone extends fully into the interior, where the same white-on-grey pattern is visible from above, creating a rare interior-exterior correspondence. The lower body transitions to a warm, sandy ash glaze, heavily pitted with fine gas craters and iron spotting — a completely different texture and character that reads as earthy and raw against the refined upper surface. The division between the two zones is organic and unrepeatable.

Form & Feel:

• Full, round chawan form — generous belly, slightly narrowing at the rim
• 300g weight — the heaviest chawan in the collection; very grounding in the hands
• Dual-texture exterior — smooth crawled fragments above, rough pitted surface below
• Interior with matching crawled glaze — visible and tactile from first pour
• Small dark foot ring — unglazed stoneware, compact and stable

For the Art of Tea: The wide round form and heavy weight make this an excellent matcha bowl or sharing bowl for gongfu cha. The interior glaze is particularly beautiful when holding tea — the white and grey-blue fragments become part of the drinking experience. Warm the cup first and hold it in both hands to feel the contrast between the two textures.

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.