Japanese Matcha Bowl - 覚入 Utsushi Kintsugi Black Raku Chawan - 700ml

This Kuro-Raku chawan (matcha bowl) is an utsushi (写 - replica) of chawan made by 14th head of the Raku family, Kakunyū (覚入).Once damaged, this chawan has been repaired with traditional kintsugi that has been gold powdered.The chawan was made by 志孤 and comes in its original kiribako (桐箱 - wooden paulownia box).Like all raku ware, this bowl is very porous and should be soaked in warm water for 15 minutes before its first use. This soaking is traditionally done in rice water (the water from rinsing rice) as it helps strengthen the bowl. With each subsequent use, we suggest rinsing the bowl with hot water before preparing tea in it, as you would with any chawan.One of Japan's most recognisable styles, Raku-yaki (楽焼) or Raku ware was developed by famous tea master Sen-no-Rikyu in the late 16th century. Perhaps inspired by the recently created 引き出し黒 (hikidashi-guro) technique used to produce the Seto-guro style of black chawan, Rikyu collaborated with tile-maker Chōjiro to produce a new sty