Bizen ware uses no glaze — every color and marking comes from clay, flame, and ash over a week-long wood firing. A guide to hidasuki, goma, sangiri and botamochi, and why this 1,000-year-old kiln still matters.
A practical guide to living with handmade Japanese ceramics — what crazing (kannyū) is, how to season porous ware with rice water (medome), and which pieces should never go in the microwave or dishwasher.
A regional guide to Japan's major ceramic traditions — how to tell unglazed Bizen from blue-and-white Arita, what makes Hagi a tea-ceremony favorite, and where each clay and kiln comes from.
