Bowls for powdered green tea fired in the Asuka kiln, and featured in the 1989 movie “ Sen no Rikyu Honkakubo Ibun”

Raku ware with a gentle texture that feels natural to the touch.

The Asuka kiln makes traditional Mino ware, mainly tea utensils and vases but they also create works with modern designs. At tablinstore, we carry several kinds of Raku ware, one of which is Raku ware created by Mr. Nakajima at the Asuka kiln.
When I visited his studio, he talked about the bowls for powdered green tea that were used during the filming of the 1989 movie “ Sen no Rikyu Honkakubo Ibun,” and he also showed me valuable movie scripts from that time.

The movie portrays a tea master during the Warring States Period (15th-16th centuries) earnestly living a way of life according to the Chanoyu tea ceremony, with Sen no Rikyu, considered the most influential historical figure in the way of tea playing a central part. The performance of the fingers of the actor performing the tea ceremony procedures is highly acclaimed, and is quite a sight.

*A DVD of the movie is available but unfortunately there is no English version.

Iga Oribe sake bottles, sake cups and incense burners
One of the works that Asuka kiln excels at are unglazed pieces of pottery flecked with Oribe green glaze that forms a distinctive pattern.




Here are photos of other pottery kilns.


Gyokuzan kiln
A splendid, traditional Japanese house owned by the kiln doubles as a studio and a gallery.







Marusho Kato kiln
This kiln produces plates, teacups, bowls for powdered green tea and others used in sushi restaurants. It owns a huge gas kiln that can fire hundreds of pieces at a time. Inside the studio, pottery ready for firing are crammed together and lined up in rows, a testament to the kiln’s high productivity rate.