Fukutomi Takahiro Matcha Bowl - Yuzen / 「悠然」抹茶碗

In Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture — one of Japan's oldest pottery towns — ceramic artist Fukutomi Takahiro (福富貴弘) creates work defined by restraint, precision and a quiet sense of drama. He first set his sights on ceramics as a junior high school student, after a single work-experience visit to a local potter's studio left a lasting impression. Encouraged by a local potter to see the wider world before committing to the craft, he went as far from home as he could — to Okinawa — completing both undergraduate and postgraduate studies there before returning to Kasama to found his own studio, dwarf pottery.

His signature technique, horikomi (掘り込み), grew out of his postgraduate research into the act of carving itself. Each piece is thrown on the wheel with deliberately thick walls, then carved freehand with a traditional kanna blade once dry. Where carving usually just tidies a shape, Fukutomi san turns it into the decoration itself: a rhythmic, wave-like relief that catches and moves with the light — subtle in a softly lit room, striking under direct light. Because every pattern is carved by hand, no two pieces are ever alike.

His glazes are just as considered — layered by hand and often fired several times to reach their finished depth. Warm antique gold flows and pools against deep matte blacks and soft turquoise blues, built from glazes he has developed and refined through years of testing.

Fukutomi san sees himself as an artist who works in clay, rather than a craftsman of a fixed regional style. He describes the feeling he is after as an unassuming brilliance — muted, antique-toned surfaces that carry an unexpected radiance. We're honoured to be the first to introduce his work outside Japan: this is the international debut of his pieces, exclusively with Osara.

Yūzen — 悠然, "calm and unhurried" — is a bowl for taking your time. Its name describes the composure of someone completely at ease, and the bowl carries that feeling: a steady, grounded form and a quietly worked surface, made to be held in both hands and lingered over.

Like all of Fukutomi san's matcha bowls, it keeps the essentials of a traditional chawan — a well-formed foot and the chadamari, the small hollow at the base of the bowl — while adding details of his own. A hand-carved maple leaf waits in the chadamari, so the last drops of matcha gather there and seem to bloom. The rim varies subtly in thickness around its circumference, a nod to the tea ceremony belief that the lip of a bowl shapes how the tea is tasted — made into something you can actually feel.

Caring for your piece — Fukutomi san's work is glazed stoneware, which is naturally slightly porous, so we recommend seasoning it before its first use with food (see the seasoning instructions below). For pieces used often with soups or other liquids, repeat the seasoning every three months or so. Once seasoned, it can be used in the microwave with care. Hand washing is recommended, as the carved ridges can chip if knocked, and any fingerprints on the antique gold glaze wash off easily.

◾ Handcrafted in Japan

◾ What's included? - One (1) Matcha Bowl in a box

◾ Material: Stoneware

◾ Dimensions: Diameter 14 cm × Height 7.5 cm

◾ Comfortable capacity: 530 ml (Full capacity: 670 ml)

◾ Care: Hand washing recommended

◾ Microwave-safe after seasoning

◾ Before First Use: Seasoning recommended

◾ Packaging: Presented in a box

Seasoning Instructions (Before First Use)

To prepare your stoneware for use with food, we recommend the following seasoning process:

1. Prepare: Place the piece in a large pot and fully submerge it in rice-rinsing water. Alternatively, use plain water mixed with 1–2 tablespoons of flour or potato starch per litre.

2. Simmer: Starting with cold water, gradually heat to a gentle simmer for 15–20 minutes. Avoid sudden temperature changes.

3. Cool: Turn off the heat and allow the piece to cool naturally in the water.

4. Dry: Rinse thoroughly and allow to air-dry completely, ideally for 24 hours, before use.