Japanese Tea Bowl
Benikase

Located in the Uji region of Kyoto prefecture: Japan’s historic centre for tea cultivation, the Asahiyaki kiln has kept its fires burning for over 400 years, counting samurai to the reigning Imperial Family as clients. Established by Tosaku I on the cusp of the shift from the Momoyama to the Edo period, the kiln earned the sobriquet “Asahi” from none other than the celebrated tea ceremony master, Kobori Enshu. Not only do Asahiyaki continue to produce traditional matcha ceremony utensils, but since the 19th century as interest in sencha grew, they have also specialised in delicate porcelains for enjoying fine leaf teas. Most of their collections are fired in gas kilns, however a wood-fired climbing kiln is also in operation, affectionately named Gen'yō, which was built in 1975 as the world's first smokeless ascending kiln.