Vase - Clay

This is an Oni-Hagi flower vase from the city of Hagi in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The vessel is normally used in Japan in the tea ceremony. The characteristic opaque milky-white glaze, thick and milky, based on wood ash, is applied over dark clay. During firing the glaze contracts, creating deep cracks; the fissures let the underlying clay show through, creating a beautiful contrast. On the bottom of the vase, there is a typical mark pressed directly into the clay (Kaian) used by artisanal ceramicists.