Glazing Tenmoku Tea Bowls for this week's firing.

Here's a short video showing how I glaze my Tenmoku tea bowls. The "suction" dip pulls the glaze back upwards inside the bowl, giving an even coating on both the outside and inside of the pot. Although I don't show a second dip in this short clip, I do give the bowl another quick dip because the glaze looks so much richer when applied thick. This technique also accomplishes two other things: First, it leaves a clean foot (Kodai) to appreciate; and second, it prevents an undue amount of glaze from flowing to the bottom of the bowl during the firing. This would happen if I had poured the glazed first inside the bowl, then on the outside. — Cliff

The thick glaze application dries in the hot sun.

The traditional Tenmoku tea bowl fires to a rich dark brown.

Ready to enjoy a nice aftertoon drink of matcha!