Japanese Nanasai Tenmoku Glazed Pottery Bowl. Small, celadon-colored ceramic bowl featuring a cracked glaze texture and irregular, textured metallic or earthy brown patches along the rim and exterior.

Size: 3 x 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 in.

Nanasai Tenmoku is a Japanese high-fire stoneware glaze technique characterized by deep, iron-rich blacks that break into subtle, multicolored iridescence—often reds, blues, and oil-spot speckles—under reduction firing. The effect arises from a tenmoku base glaze with a relatively high iron content, carefully layered or fired to encourage iron crystals to separate and migrate to the surface during cooling. Precise kiln control is essential: shifts in temperature, atmosphere, and cooling rate determine whether the surface remains a glossy black, develops rainbow “seven-color” (nanasai) flashes, or forms spot and hare’s-fur-like patterns. The result is a surface that appears deceptively simple at first glance but reveals depth and complexity as light moves across it.

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