Shigaraki Katakuchi – Hi-iro Fire Color Spouted Matcha Bowl

No glaze, no brush, no pattern — only clay and fire. This Shigaraki katakuchi (spouted bowl) is left completely unglazed, and the kiln has painted it in hi-iro, Shigaraki's famous "fire color": a warm persimmon-orange that deepens to rust and burnt sienna, breaking into a pale, toasted cream band at the rim where the flame passed differently.

Look closely and the clay sparkles with tiny white flecks of feldspar, the signature of Shigaraki's coarse local earth. Inside, the colors reverse — a glowing orange well beneath a pale crescent — and the generous pulled spout gives the form its gentle teardrop silhouette.

We selected this piece in person in Shigaraki.

Origin: Shigaraki, Shiga Prefecture, Japan
Form: Katakuchi (spouted bowl)
Surface: Unglazed yakishime stoneware with natural hi-iro (fire color) and feldspar inclusions
Dimensions: 13.5 cm × 7.7 cm H (excluding spout)
Weight: 266 g
Marks: None
Condition: New, handmade — color variation, feldspar specks, and the textured clay surface are inherent to the piece
Box: Kraft box

Hi-iro (緋色) — "scarlet" or "fire color" — is the blush that appears on unglazed Shigaraki clay as iron in the body meets flame and kiln atmosphere. It cannot be applied or controlled; the potter chooses the clay and the kiln placement, and the fire decides the rest.

For centuries this was Shigaraki's defining beauty. Medieval tea masters, from Murata Jukō onward, prized these warm, honest surfaces as among the first native Japanese wares worthy of the tea room — and the white feldspar specks bursting through the clay are still treasured by collectors as a mark of genuine Shigaraki earth.

Whisk matcha directly in the bowl, then pour cleanly over milk or ice — the spout makes lattes effortless. It also serves as a yuzamashi for cooling water when brewing gyokuro or sencha, or simply as a warm, earthy serving bowl. Vivid green matcha against fire-orange clay is a striking contrast.

Unglazed stoneware is slightly porous. Before each use, rinse the bowl with warm water — this softens the surface and helps prevent staining. After use, rinse promptly with water only (no detergent, which the clay can absorb), and avoid dishwashers, microwaves, and soaking.

Let it air-dry completely before storing. Over time and use, the clay will take on a subtle sheen and deeper tone — what tea people call "raising" a bowl, and the reason yakishime pieces grow more beautiful with every year.

This is the exact piece photographed — once sold, it will not be restocked.

Carefully packed and shipped directly from our Kyoto studio via Japan Post EMS, fully tracked and insured.