Flame-Marked Trinket Dish, Shigaraki-Style Hi-Iro Tray, Scalloped Rim, Glossy Red-Brown Interior, Wabi-Sabi Ring and Key Dish

A DISH THAT HOLDS THE COLOUR OF THE FLAME

Look into this dish and the clay glows a deep, glossy red-brown. Turn it over and the story changes: a pale, creamy underside streaked with warm red that fans out from the foot ring. The rim is scalloped and gently irregular, folded and lifted by hand. Nothing here is painted. The colour comes from fire, ash and where the dish sat in the kiln. This is a small hand-formed dish in a Shigaraki-style manner, for rings, keys, jewellery or the shelf.

QUICK FACTS
• Type: shallow dish / trinket tray
• Style: Shigaraki-style hi-iro (火色) flame colour [Shigaraki unconfirmed]
• Interior: glossy red-brown, with small pits and speckles
• Underside: pale cream clay with red-brown flame streaks radiating from the foot ring
• Rim: hand-formed, scalloped and irregular, with small glassy beads of ash or glaze
• Foot: low, flat foot ring, no mark visible [describe if found]
• Origin: Japan 

WHAT IS HI-IRO (火色)?
Hi-iro means "fire colour". In Shigaraki ware it is the reddish-brown that appears when the iron in the clay oxidizes in the flame of a wood kiln, and it is among the most prized features of the style. Shigaraki clay is low in iron and plastic, and contains feldspar and quartz, which give unglazed surfaces a rough character called ishi-haze (石爆ぜ). Wood ash that falls on a piece can also melt into a natural glaze (自然釉).

WHY THE TWO SIDES DIFFER
Kiln effects (窯変, yohen) are changes in colour that arise in the kiln from the flame, the ash and where the piece sits. The glossy red-brown interior and the pale cream underside here are a classic example of that contrast. A potter can influence placement and firing, but the exact result is never fully fixed, which is why no two pieces look alike.

THE SCALLOPED RIM
In Momoyama-period tea ware, asymmetry and distortion were prized: Oribe potters deliberately bent rims and bodies, and old Iga tea vessels were admired for their warped, cracked forms. The scalloped rim on this dish follows that wabi-sabi taste. It has been formed by hand.

A SHIGARAKI-STYLE BODY, NOT YET CONFIRMED
The pale clay and the red flame colour are typical of Shigaraki ware, but neighbouring kilns such as Iga use similar earth, and studio potters elsewhere also use Shigaraki clay. We describe the dish by what you can see and leave the kiln open.

USE AND CARE
Sold as a decorative dish for dry items such as rings, keys and jewellery. The unglazed clay is porous and can absorb oil and water, so we do not recommend using it for food or liquids. Tiny glassy beads on the rim can be sharp, so handle with care. Wipe gently with a dry cloth and avoid soaking and dishwashers.

CONDITION AND AUTHENTICITY
Sold as a flame-marked dish in a Shigaraki-style manner, [maker and origin unconfirmed]. Pits, ash beads, colour variation and the irregular rim are part of its character. Please review all photos and ask any question before buying.

SHIPPING
Packed in double-boxed protection with foam and paper cushioning, with the rim protected. Ships worldwide with tracking. Duties and taxes may apply on arrival.