A set of two teacups by Takatori Hachizan XIII

A set of beautiful teacups with black nagashi glaze flowing over yellow, and white nagashi over furashi glaze.

The history of the Takatoriyaki Souke lineage dates back more than 420 years. Founded in the year 1600, the pottery workshop flourished as the official kiln for the Kuroda clan in Chikuzen province (now in Fukuoka prefecture). Since then, many generations have treasured tea ceremony utensils made by the Takatoriyaki Souke potters.
 
Today, Takatori Hachizan XIII (right), the current head of the family, makes pottery together with his oldest son, Takatori Shunkei (left).

Items produced in the early years of operations at the kiln are referred to as ko-takatori (old Takatori). These items were made in the popular Oribe style, which is characterized by discordant beauty, an aesthetic that favors distorted and deformed objects over those that are perfect and immaculate. Later, the kiln moved toward the elegant and refined kirei-sabi aesthetic under the guidance of Kobori Enshu, the leading tea ceremony instructor to the Tokugawa shogun in the Edo period. Known as Enshu-takatori, this style has been favored by tea ceremony masters for the past 400 years.

Two contrasting styles have developed out of the traditions and long history of the kiln, but the techniques for making Takatori ware remain secret. Even today, the techniques are only passed down from parent to child in the direct Takatoriyaki Souke lineage.

Takatori ware is characterized by the elegance of its thin construction and seven glazes (nana-iro-gusuri). These gorgeous and colorful glazes are applied separately to create complex and beautiful hues. The aesthetic of Kobori Enshu is still present, discovering beauty and vitality, not in the full moon, but in the moon that is a little short of full.

We are pleased to offer a special sale of tea bowls by Takatori Hachizan XIII and Takatori Shunkei to give you the opportunity to fully savor the attraction of Takatori ware. The offer includes two of the tea bowl styles favored by Enshu—a maeose bowl with a slight indentation at the front and a shitamentori bowl where the hip of the tea bowl is cut away to create a tapering shape.