Sancai Three-Colour Glaze Faceted Rice Bowl

A sansai (three-color) rice bowl made by Kazufumi Wada, the fourth-generation potter at Keizan Kiln in Toki, Gifu Prefecture. The surface of each wheel-thrown bowl is carved and finished entirely by hand. Available in two sizes, small and large. Its unassuming, quiet presence settles easily into the everyday table.

The glazing is sansai, with green, brown, and white applied in separate areas. Where the colors meet, the straight and curving lines of the carving overlap. The placement and breadth of each glaze division differ from piece to piece.

Wada selects and blends the clay and glazes himself. After shaping the form on the wheel, he pares the surface away little by little with carving chisels and metal blades. It is work that demands concentration, skill, and time.

Even with the same clay, technique, and glaze, the fired colors vary. Variations in glaze depth, pooling, running, uneven color, and iron specks are the individual character born within the kiln. Small blemishes and slight warping are likewise not defects, and do not affect use.

The uneven beauty of the carved surface cannot be reproduced by machine. The bowl follows the fingers and sits steadily in the hand with a pleasing weight. What is made by hand suits the hand well. This is a bowl whose character deepens the more you use it.