Vintage Bizen Ware Vase with Ear Handles, Unglazed Japanese Stoneware, Ikebana Hanaire

A BIZEN VASE WITH THE FIRE STILL ON IT

No glaze. No paint. Every tone on this vase, from smoky violet-brown to slate grey to soft olive ash, was drawn by flame and wood ash inside the kiln. This is a tall cylindrical Japanese flower vase (筒形花入, tsutsu-gata hanaire) with a flared rim and two curled ear handles (耳, mimi), made in the Bizen ware tradition (備前焼) of Okayama, Japan.

QUICK FACTS
• Type: Japanese flower vase (花入, hanaire) for ikebana, chabana or dried arrangements
• Ware: Bizen-yaki (備前焼), unglazed yakishime (焼締め) stoneware
• Tradition: Imbe (伊部), Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture
• Kiln effect: sangiri (桟切), grey to dark-grey tones from ash and smoke, with iron-brown areas
• Form: cylindrical body, flared rim, incised rings on the shoulder, two scroll-shaped ear handles
• Maker / kiln mark: [unsigned, maker not identified / describe seal or inscription]
• Age: vintage, [estimate, e.g. mid-20th century, only if supported]
• Condition: [describe rim, handles, base, any chips, repairs, kiln scars]

WHY COLLECTORS LOOK FOR BIZEN
Bizen is counted among Japan's Six Ancient Kilns (日本六古窯) and is regarded as the oldest of them. It grew out of Sue ware of the Kofun period and developed its characteristic brown clay body by the late Kamakura period. In the Momoyama period, tea masters found that its plain, unglazed surface matched the wabi-sabi spirit of the tea ceremony, and Bizen flower vases and water jars became prized tea wares. The iron-rich, highly plastic paddy clay (田土, tazuchi) of Imbe is the heart of the ware.

WHAT IS SANGIRI?
In a traditional Bizen firing, a piece's color depends on where it sits in the kiln and how ash, flame and smoke reach it. Sangiri (桟切) is the effect where ash and smoke produce grey to dark-grey and bluish tones, often next to warm brown. Two Bizen pieces are never alike, and this one carries its own record of the fire.

THE FORM: AN EAR-HANDLED FLOWER VASE
Ear handles (耳付, mimitsuki) are a long-standing feature of Bizen vessels, from medieval storage jars to tea-room flower vases. The curled handles here are glossy and darker, and they frame the matte, ash-toned body. A single branch, a few stems of pampas grass or a bare dried twig is enough.

DISPLAY AND USE
Because Bizen is unglazed, use a glass or plastic liner for fresh flowers. Wipe with a soft damp cloth. Avoid soap, which can leave a film on unglazed clay.

THE BIZEN LANDSCAPE
Imbe is a pottery village with red-brick kiln chimneys, a station that serves as a gateway to the kilns, and an autumn Bizen Pottery Festival that draws large crowds.

CONDITION AND AUTHENTICITY
Sold as a vintage Bizen-style / Bizen ware vase, [unsigned / signed: ___]. Natural kiln marks, ash specks and small surface pits are part of wood-fired Bizen and are not defects. Please see all photos and ask any question before buying.