{"product_id":"bizen-yaki-tsubo-vase-sangiri-yohen-fire-double-loop-handles-japanese-ikebana-stoneware-wabi-sabi-unglazed-pottery","title":"Bizen Yaki Tsubo Vase | Sangiri \u0026 Yohen Fire | Double Loop Handles | Japanese Ikebana Stoneware | Wabi-Sabi Unglazed Pottery","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Language of Fire: A Bizen Tsubo That Speaks Without Words\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eIn Okayama Prefecture, deep in Japan's Chugoku region, there is a village called Imbe (伊部) where potters have worked the same iron-rich \u003cem\u003ehiyose\u003c\/em\u003e clay for over a thousand years. They call what comes out of the kiln \u003cem\u003ekeshiki\u003c\/em\u003e — 景色, meaning \u003cem\u003escenery\u003c\/em\u003e — because every surface tells the story of its time inside the fire. This tsubo is one such landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eForm \u0026amp; Silhouette\u003c\/strong\u003e The vessel follows the classic \u003cem\u003etsubo\u003c\/em\u003e archetype — a cylindrical body with a subtly swelling shoulder, a short gathered neck, and a generously rolled \u003cem\u003etamabuchi\u003c\/em\u003e rim that invites the hands. Two small loop handles (\u003cem\u003emimi\u003c\/em\u003e, 耳 — literally \"ears\") are pinched and applied at the widest point of the shoulder, a feature seen on Bizen flower vessels from at least the Muromachi period (14th–16th century), when tea masters like Sen no Rikyū began placing Bizen ware at the center of \u003cem\u003ewabi\u003c\/em\u003e aesthetics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Firing: Sangiri \u0026amp; Yohen\u003c\/strong\u003e No glaze touches this piece. Instead, an unexpected change in color is caused by the absence of oxygen during reduction firing — when the vessel is buried in ash, the reaction between iron in the clay and carbon from the embers produces colors ranging from black to grey to blue to reddish brown. This is \u003cem\u003esangiri\u003c\/em\u003e (桟切り), and it dominates the lower body here in a moody gunmetal wash. Above it, the clay opens into deep iron-red and amber — the \u003cem\u003eyohen\u003c\/em\u003e (窯変) fire transformation unique to that moment in that kiln. \u003cspan class=\"inline-flex\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe exact patterns on Bizen ware differ depending on firing and ash contact, so even items of the same form never come out exactly the same — which is part of their charm. The piece you see is the only one like it that will ever exist. \u003cspan class=\"inline-flex\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClay \u0026amp; Kiln\u003c\/strong\u003e Bizen ware is one of Japan's Six Ancient Kilns, alongside Seto, Tokoname, Shigaraki, Tamba, and Echizen — celebrated for preserving traditional pottery techniques passed down through generations. The raw material, \u003cem\u003ehiyose\u003c\/em\u003e (火襷土), is drawn from beneath local rice paddies — dense, iron-loaded, and completely unglazeble by intention. Pottery pieces are placed in a \u003cem\u003enoborigama\u003c\/em\u003e climbing kiln set up on hillside terraces in step-like fashion, using pine wood as fuel. The position of each piece inside the kiln changes the firing conditions, so nobody can predict exactly how it will turn out. \u003cspan class=\"inline-flex\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"inline-flex w-1\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"inline-flex\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFor the Collector \u0026amp; the Home\u003c\/strong\u003e This tsubo is ideally sized for an ikebana arrangement — a single branch of plum blossom in winter, one stem of Japanese \u003cem\u003esusuki\u003c\/em\u003e grass in autumn. But it works equally as a pure sculptural object: placed on a shelf, sideboard, or entry alcove (\u003cem\u003etokonoma\u003c\/em\u003e), the interplay of gunmetal grey, iron red, and warm amber creates a meditative focal point entirely in the wabi-sabi spirit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eA potter's seal is impressed on the base. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chikoyaki","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45518802813007,"sku":"CKY-CER-0010","price":200.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0667\/6588\/1423\/files\/IMG_5841_result.jpg?v=1780756574","url":"https:\/\/chikoyaki.com\/products\/bizen-yaki-tsubo-vase-sangiri-yohen-fire-double-loop-handles-japanese-ikebana-stoneware-wabi-sabi-unglazed-pottery","provider":"Chikoyaki","version":"1.0","type":"link"}