{"product_id":"vintage-japanese-soma-yaki-bowl-hashiri-goma-horse-motif-blue-crackle-glaze","title":"Vintage Japanese Soma Yaki Bowl, Hashiri-Goma Horse Motif, Blue Crackle Glaze","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eIn Japan's Tōhoku region, a bowl like this carries centuries of specific identity. This is Ōbori-Sōma-yaki, a pottery tradition founded in 1690 in the Namie district of Fukushima under the patronage of the Sōma clan, historically the largest ceramic-producing area in the Tōhoku region during the Edo period. Two features mark it unmistakably as Sōma ware. First is ao-hibi (青ひび), the fine network of blue-gray crackling that spreads across the entire celadon-glazed surface, caused by the differing shrinkage rates of clay and glaze as the piece cools — a phenomenon so distinctive that its faint cracking sound was once named among Fukushima's \"30 beautiful sounds.\" Second is the running horse painted at the bowl's center in loose, confident brushwork drawn from the Kanō school painting tradition — hashiri-goma (走り駒), a depiction of the Sōma clan's sacred horse, tied to the region's centuries-old Sōma Nomaoi horse-riding festival and long regarded as a symbol of good fortune.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eWhat sets this particular piece apart is how the potter has built on that foundation: a bold, flowing glaze (nagashi-gusuri) in deep maroon-red radiates outward from the horse like rays or brushstrokes, pooling and dripping down the interior wall, while the exterior carries rich pools of turquoise and green breaking through the crackled base glaze. It's a more painterly, contemporary treatment of a centuries-old motif — traditional in subject, expressive in execution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eIt's worth noting, with respect, that Namie's ceramic community faced enormous disruption after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, which forced the evacuation of the town and scattered its kilns; a number have since rebuilt and resumed production, keeping this three-centuries-old craft alive. A piece like this represents that continuity — a living regional tradition, not a museum relic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eGenerously sized as a serving or display bowl, it works equally well holding fruit, presenting a single dish at the table, or standing on its own as a piece of Tōhoku folk art. For collectors of regional Japanese ceramics, it's a rare opportunity to hold a specific, storied production area in the hand rather than a generic \"Japanese pottery\" label.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eShipped with care from our studio in Hanoi. Glaze crackling, pooling, and small firing marks are original to the piece and part of its authentic character.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chikoyaki","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46072748834895,"sku":"CKY-CER-011","price":210.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0667\/6588\/1423\/files\/IMG_6839_result.jpg?v=1784274241","url":"https:\/\/chikoyaki.com\/products\/vintage-japanese-soma-yaki-bowl-hashiri-goma-horse-motif-blue-crackle-glaze","provider":"Chikoyaki","version":"1.0","type":"link"}