Kutani Hand-Painted Matcha Chawan by Iroe Yu Workshop — Hana Floral Wabi-Sabi Stoneware Bowl

A hand-painted 九谷焼 (Kutani-yaki) matcha chawan (茶碗 / tea ceremony bowl) by 色絵工房 遊 (Iroe Kōbō Yū / "Color-Painting Workshop Yū"), distributed by 加賀商会 (Kaga Shōkai) in Ishikawa Prefecture — the heart of the Kutani-yaki ceramic tradition. The bowl combines a contemporary wabi-sabi aesthetic (a gray-speckled iron-fleck glaze on roughly half the exterior + the entire interior) with a classical 色絵 (iroe / polychrome overglaze enamel) hand-painted floral reserve on the other half. The Hana (華 / "Flower") series motif layers six-plus distinct flower species — red chrysanthemum, peach dianthus, plum and sakura blossoms, blue forget-me-nots, with green leaves — into a 百花 ("100 flowers in bloom") arrangement that doesn't lock to one season. Marked on the foot with the workshop's signature red 遊 seal in a square stamp box.

📐 At a glance

• Form: 茶碗 (chawan / matcha tea ceremony bowl) — hand-thrown, open mouth for matcha whisking with a bamboo chasen
• Size: 11.0 cm (4.3") rim diameter × 6.7 cm (2.6") height
• Capacity: estimable ~300–400 mL — exact on dispatch (matcha service fills ~70–100 mL leaving generous whisking headroom)
• Material: Stoneware (陶器 tōki), Kutani-yaki lineage — hand-thrown with visible throwing lines and asymmetric wabi-sabi rim
• Exterior (decorated half): white slip (白化粧土) reserve carrying hand-painted 色絵 polychrome enamel flowers
• Exterior (un-decorated half): wabi-sabi gray glaze with fine iron-fleck speckle — similar to contemporary 鼠志野 (Nezumi-Shino / "Mouse-Shino") aesthetic
• Interior + foot: matching gray wabi-sabi glaze (interior fully food-sealed)
• Foot mark: red 遊 (Yū) workshop seal in square stamp box on foot underside
• Series: 華 (Hana / "Flower") — the workshop's multi-species hand-painted floral signature
• Workshop card: 「絵付工房 色絵 遊」 included
• Made by Iroe Yū / Kaga Shōkai / Kutani-yaki in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, curated by ZenKiln
• Gift box: paulownia 桐箱 (kiribako) stamped 九谷焼 茶碗 + 遊 seal; also includes the 九谷焼 cooperative-issued tradition brochure
• Production: hand-painted, not slip-cast or mass-printed
• Ships in 1–3 business days (ZK own-stock ready-to-ship)

🌸 The motif — Hana (華) "100 flowers"

The 華 series gathers a layered multi-species bouquet across one white-slip reserve panel. This bowl carries red chrysanthemum (菊), pink/peach dianthus (撫子), plum and sakura blossoms, blue forget-me-nots (勿忘草), and green leaves and grass-strokes. Unlike a single-season motif, the multi-species arrangement evokes a year-round flowering — a quiet meditation on the cyclical fullness of nature rather than a single seasonal moment.

🎨 Why this is Kutani-yaki + Wabi-Sabi

九谷焼 (Kutani-yaki) is one of Japan's most respected ceramic traditions (designated 経済産業大臣指定伝統的工芸品 / Traditional Craft of Japan, 1975), known for expressive 色絵 (iroe / polychrome overglaze enamel) brushwork. The 色絵 遊 workshop name itself means "Color-Painting Yū" — the technique IS the workshop's identity. The wabi-sabi gray-glaze body on this piece is a contemporary aesthetic choice — joining the classical iroe enamel decoration with a modern speckled-glaze surface that reflects the wabi-sabi principle of finding beauty in imperfect, transient, incomplete forms. The half-decorated / half-bare composition embodies this duality.

🍵 At the table — Matcha Chawan, Tea Bowl, or Kobachi

The open chawan shape is the classical matcha tea ceremony vessel. Use it for:

• Matcha preparation — daily matcha or matcha latte, whisked with a bamboo chasen
• Sencha, hojicha, genmaicha, or other loose-leaf Japanese teas — held with both hands
• Small kobachi (小鉢) — side dishes, rice, ochazuke, fruit, dessert, pickles, nuts, small appetizers
• Display piece on an open shelf, paired with raw wood and linen for a wabi-sabi tea corner

🧼 Care

• Hand-wash only with mild detergent and a soft sponge
• Do not use the dishwasher — alkaline detergent strips overglaze 色絵 enamels
• Do not use the microwave (manufacturer-confirmation not provided for either microwave or dishwasher safety)
• Avoid sudden temperature changes (do not pour boiling water onto a cold bowl)
• Dry thoroughly with a soft cloth before storing back in the kiribako box

🎁 Gift-ready

Arrives in a paulownia 桐箱 (kiribako / wooden gift box) stamped 九谷焼 茶碗 + the red 遊 workshop seal — the traditional Japanese gift-presentation box used for tea-ceremony pieces and named-workshop work. The box also includes a Kutani-yaki cooperative-issued tradition brochure documenting the ware lineage, plus the workshop info card 「絵付工房 色絵 遊」. A natural gift for:

• Matcha ritualists and tea-ceremony practitioners
• Japanese pottery and Kutani-yaki collectors
• Wabi-sabi aesthetic curators and modern Japanese home-decor enthusiasts
• Wedding, anniversary, housewarming, hostess occasions

About ZenKiln — A Japan-based curator connecting international collectors with Japan's artisan ceramic tradition. We work closely with the kilns, workshops, and makers featured in our shop — each one disclosed in our About section — and hand-pack every piece in Japan for safe delivery worldwide.

📦 Ships from Japan, hand-packed for safe delivery.