11/4/03



Lewis Perin wrote:

crymad writes:

Cameron Lewis wrote:

[...mostly likes porcelain...]

Though I have some nice, thin, handle-less porcelain Japanese tea cups,
I don't use them much, mostly just when serving guests. My tea cup of
choice -- for even gyokuro -- is one of glazed clayware from Hagi. It's

------------------------------------------^^^^^^

thicker and heavier than the porcelain, but I consider this an
advantage, as it holds the tea's temperature longer. And its handmade
quality feels more comfortable in my hands and on my lips. Beyond that,
though, is the nature of the the clay from which it's made, a very
porous type characteristic of Hagi. The trapped air in the vessel
itself imparts a more open flavor to the tea, as if allowing the liquid
to breathe. By contrast, the same tea in porcelain is a sterile
experience.

How does this work if the Hagi's glazed?

The glazing itself is also porous, and crazing is deliberate. Tea will
eventually penetrate the cracks and openings on the surface, which
alters the color of the piece as time goes by. I periodically submerge
my Hagi tea cup in almost boiling water to maintain its well being, and
the effect is effervescent, with a swarm of air bubbles being released
in an audible hiss. You can find a picture of a very beautiful Hagi tea
bowl with a general description of pottery from that area he

http://www.jgc.co.jp/waza/b1_pottery/pottery04.htm

--crymad


Hi,

If I read more, I'd post less. The Hagi bowl in the photos is exquisite. The
crawling at the foot is magnificent. These are bowls that "need" the tea to
complete them: Tea, the missing factor. I recently bought a set of shino
saki cups in the blue and the white styles, for tea of course. Most teawares
are too tight assed, IMHO. Good saki wares are looser and and more natural.
But, that Hagi bowl is extraordinary. Would that I could afford it. And now,
back to the $1.25 behandled mason jar.

Michael