Shigaraki Katakuchi – White Swirl Spouted Matcha Bowl

Soft as morning cloud. This Shigaraki katakuchi (spouted bowl) is brushed in a quiet, satiny white that shifts between ivory and pale dove gray, with the potter's horizontal brush strokes still visible around the body. Inside, the white turns in a slow spiral down to the center of the bowl, like a whirlpool drawn in chalk.

Look closely and faint blushes of peach and pink rise through the white, on the interior walls and across the unglazed band near the foot. These soft "gohon" spots are a gentle surprise from the kiln, and they give an otherwise calm bowl unexpected warmth. A small, rounded pulled spout completes the form.

We selected this piece in person in Shigaraki.

Origin: Shigaraki, Shiga Prefecture, Japan
Form: Katakuchi (spouted bowl)
Glaze: Brushed satin white with a spiral interior and natural pink gohon blushes; unglazed band above the foot
Dimensions: 12.6 cm × 7.9 cm H (excluding spout)
Weight: 225 g
Marks: None
Condition: New, handmade — brush marks, pink blushes, and a small glaze drip at the foot are inherent to the piece
Box: Kraft gift

Tea people have a name for soft pink spots that bloom through pale glazes: gohon (御本). The term comes from the 17th century, when Japanese tea masters sent designs to Korean kilns to have tea bowls made to order. The bowls that came back often showed delicate peach-pink spots where iron in the clay reacted in the fire, and the effect became treasured in its own right.

Gohon cannot be painted on. It appears where it chooses, depending on the clay and the kiln. On this bowl it shows as warm, cloud-like blushes against cool white, the kind of quiet detail you notice only the second or third time you pick the bowl up.

Whisk matcha directly in the bowl, then pour cleanly over milk or ice for lattes. The white interior shows the true green of your matcha, and the spiral at the center gives the foam a lovely backdrop as you whisk. It also works as a yuzamashi for cooling water before brewing gyokuro or sencha.

Hand wash with warm water and a soft cloth. Avoid dishwashers, microwaves, and abrasive scrubbing. Dry fully before storing.

White glazes and the unglazed band can slowly take on tea tones with regular use. Rinse soon after whisking to keep the bowl bright, or let it develop a gentle patina over time.

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.