Sawa Kiyotsugu (澤清嗣) Japanese, b. 1948

A Shigaraki Chawan (信楽茶碗)

Showa Era (1926-1989), Heisei Era (1989-2019) or Reiwa Era (2019-present)

About the work

This Shigaraki chawan by Sawa Kiyotsugu embodies the grounded strength and restrained expressiveness characteristic of the Shigaraki tradition. The bowl presents a broad, stable form with gently rising walls and a subtly irregular rim, creating a quiet sense of movement and natural balance. Its proportions feel deliberate yet unforced, lending the piece a calm authority well suited to the contemplative setting of tea practice.

The surface reveals the raw vitality of Shigaraki clay. Coarse mineral textures are clearly visible, with transitions between warm iron rich red tones and cooler ash gray areas formed through high temperature wood firing. Natural ash deposits and subtle fire marks create a layered, tactile surface that changes with light and handling, emphasizing the dialogue between material, flame, and time. The foot is simply trimmed, exposing the clay body and reinforcing the bowl’s honest, unembellished character.

The interior is softly vitrified by the firing, offering a comfortable drinking surface while preserving the natural texture prized in tea ceramics. The bowl is accompanied by its original wooden storage box.

Dimensions

8.5cm(h) x 12.7cm(w) x 13.1cm(d)

Footnote

Sawa Kiyotsugu was born in 1948 in Shigaraki-cho, Koka City, Shiga Prefecture, into a family operating a Shigaraki pottery kiln. He completed formal pottery training in Kyoto in 1968 and later studied under Shunsai Takahashi in Shigaraki from 1972. His work has been presented in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including The Great Shigaraki Exhibition at the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park in 2001, Eight Artists of Japanese Pottery in Niigata in 2005, and an exhibition at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, Tokyo, in 2019.