Cracked Ice, Ancient Earth — Shino Wood-Fired Yunomi

Cracked Ice, Ancient Earth

Hold this cup and you are holding a landscape. The entire exterior is consumed by one of the most dramatic crawled glazes to emerge from the kiln — hundreds of thick, raised white islands of Shino glaze, each one distinct and rounded, separated by deep channels of dark iron-brown that run between them like rivers in a dried lakebed, or the cracks in pack ice seen from above. It is a surface of distinctive three-dimensional depth — not just textured, but geological. And scattered across the upper body, where the wood-fire atmosphere concentrated, flashes of cobalt blue and pale violet bloom between the islands like wildflowers in stone.

Glaze & Surface

The exterior is completely covered in a thick, heavily crawled Shino glaze — dense raised islands of white and cream, blistered and rounded, pulling away from the dark iron-brown clay body beneath to create a surface of distinctive relief. The upper body is touched with washes of pale cobalt blue and lilac, scattered irregularly across the white — the unpredictable mark of the wood-fire atmosphere at peak temperature. The rim is dark and raw, the iron clay showing through where the glaze has thinned. The interior is the quiet complement: deep, dark, and rough — the unglazed or lightly flashed clay body, warm brown-grey and textural, grounding the luminous exterior.

Form & Feel

• Upright cylindrical yunomi form — strong, direct, and deeply tactile
• Substantial weight with excellent heat retention
• Massively textured exterior — unlike anything else in the hand
• Raw, dark interior — honest and grounding
• Dark iron foot ring — unglazed, raw stoneware clay

The Crawled Glaze

The dramatic crawled surface of this cup forms when the glaze contracts sharply during firing, pulling away from itself and the clay body to create raised islands and deep channels. It requires precise glaze chemistry, careful application, and the right kiln atmosphere — and even then, the result is never fully predictable. A crawl this dense, this three-dimensional, and this consistent across the entire surface is unusual. It is the mark of a firing that went exactly right.

For the collector who values the raw and the ancient. A cup that rewards slow looking and slow drinking in equal measure. One of a kind, 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.