Karatsu Matcha Tea Bowl – Earth Tones

The Karatsu Tea Bowl, complete with its tomobako (the bespoke wooden box), is one of the matcha tea lover's most desirable matcha tea bowls.

During the tea ceremony we say ‘Ichi Raku, Ni Hagi, San Karatsu’. This means that a lover of the tea ceremony’ first desire is to own a Raku chawan, their second hope is to own a Hagi chawan, and their next desire is to own a Karatsu chawan. 

Karatsu is one of the most famous regions of Japan for traditional pottery. This hand-made, versatile bowl fits perfectly in your hands, and offers you a wonderful sense of beauty and energy.

The fine-lined patterns are applied to the bowl using an iron-based underglaze. The piece then undergoes firing with another semi-transparent glaze on top, enabling the underglaze to remain visible. It is a technique renowned for its natural earthy tones and restrained aesthetics. 

The renowned Akamizugama pottery was established in 1976, and developed from a tea shop where you could enjoy drinking from handmade pottery. From there it developed into the award-winning pottery kiln and studio that has become so celebrated today. 

Before you start using your Karatsu ware tea bowl:

 First soak it in cold water for about 5 minutes to absorb enough water, then – after wiping it off – it is ready for use.

 Unlike earthenware, Karatsu ware is porous and highly absorbent, so please dry it thoroughly to prevent any mould forming. 

Karatsu ware is not suitable for use in a dishwasher, oven or microwave.