The unofficial/official HAGI topic!

[David R.]

David, I remember seeing those, are they Hagi? They seem so ... unHagi-ish Thank you for sharing them with us. More to come we hope!

I have asked myself this very question. Maybe I should have looked into it before posting pics in this thread. I will check get back to you on this. Naka-san comes from Saga, Kyûshû.

There will be more to come.

[TIM]

A couple more views....please pardon the dodgy cell phone pics.

Is Makari on their Summer sale!? That's a beauty Abracadaver. Sometimes if you are lucky, she might make some tea for you to try out in her store

[David R.]

Hidehisa from Magokorodo just answered my question.

Nakao-san's work is not Hagi-yaki. It is his own creation as he has no real affiliation. He did study in Arita which makes his work kind of Arita ware, but as he is independent, his work his referenced as : "work of the GYOKUHO kiln NAKAO TETSUAKI."

My mistake. You can move the post where it belongs if you wish of course.

[Abracadaver!]

Wow, that's intense.

+1 That is extreme ... does it hold water?

Is it really Hagi-yaki if it holds water?

Actually, surprisingly enough, it hasn't been leaking or sweating at all. This makes it the first piece of Hagi-ware that I've had that doesn't leak.

This cup was relatively inexpensive. The price range on Luroda's work is pretty wide, and usually this style of glaze is on the more expensive end, but the owner had broken up a set of five cups which made this one pretty affordable.

That being said, they have some slab plates by Kuroda that are raaad but way more than I can afford.

Is Makari on their Summer sale!? That's a beauty Abracadaver. Sometimes if you are lucky, she might make some tea for you to try out in her store

They have a Summer sale? Oh man, maybe I jumped the gun.
I haven't had tea with the owner, but I've been curious about the tea that she sells. Have you tried any, Tim?

[Chip]

Time is counting down to the resumption HAGI SO's!!! It is going to be ... enticing!!! Sooo, don't go too far away from your computer. I will give at least 24 hour notice of the official topic posting.

And below, a newer Seigan Oribe Guinomi with Yutaka Midori Yame Fukamushi from Den's!

[Stentor]

Unboxing my first Hagi pieces as we speak. They look sooo amazing "in person".
I got a "husband and wife" set of Hagi fawn spots Chamfered teacups by Seigan (HAGI-HOTARU-MENTORI-YUNOMI).
Pics to follow once I manage to capture them under good lighting conditions.
Wow. I'm blown away!

[Chip]

Sounds like an awesome first purchase! Cannot wait to see them.

[Victoria]

Unboxing my first Hagi pieces as we speak. They look sooo amazing "in person".
I got a "husband and wife" set of Hagi fawn spots Chamfered teacups by Seigan (HAGI-HOTARU-MENTORI-YUNOMI).
Pics to follow once I manage to capture them under good lighting conditions.
Wow. I'm blown away!

Congratulations! Yes, please post!! I have been searching for "just right" fawn spot piece. I haven't added any so far, but on the look out!!

[Stentor]

All right, instead of making you guys wait forever, I took a few pics.
I find it really hard to accurately capture the colors. I hope it's OK.

Seigan Hagi fawn spots.jpg (43.35 KiB) Viewed 940 times

I don't think they show the spot pattern too well but it's not too inaccurate of a representation.
Depending on how the light falls, the cups will appear relatively evenly flesh colored or very spotty with reddish and light brown tones contrasting flesh colored circles.
The chamfering (do you say it like that?) makes them feel really nice in the hands.
Sizewise the "husband" is about 8 oz and the "wife" is a good 6 oz (usable, not to rim), which is bigger than I'm used to but hey, more Sencha for me, I guess

I figured this glaze was a good choice for transitioning from predominantly white tea cups to Hagi

[Chip]

... yes, champhored.

Looks very textural! Thanks for sharing them with us.

[Stentor]

Oh and they have a slight "damp walls" kind of smell to them. It doesn't bother me much but I was wondering if it's just the way Hagi ware smells or if I need to soak them again (I did for 4 hours; warmed them up with warm water, put them in a pot and filled the pot up with boiling water).
Oh and by soaking you guys mean immerse in water, right (which is what I did)?

Another question: Should I be worried about possible damage from temperature shock at all (like going from rather cold to really hot by filling a cup with boiling water without having warmed up the cup in any way)?

There's still a little leakage with the bigger cup (some moisture at the foot) but I won't worry about that yet and hope it's gonna take care of itself as it doesn't seem so bad.

Anyway, I'm really happy with them and I am glad this is how I start my journey through the world of Hagi

[David R.]

A little smell is normal. Most Hagi pieces are sold without being washed since they are out from the kiln.

I was advised by a knowledgeable source to immerse them in a pot full a room temperature water and to put the whole thing to boil for a few minutes. Then let it cool down. This way no temperature shock.

I add a "bed" on the bottom of the pot for the pieces not to be in direct contact with it and to avoid shocks due to the moving boiling water. I use aluminium. I don't think it is necessary though.

That being said, maybe you have to be careful if there is a leak. This may make it worse. So if you have doubt, just contact your vendor to ask his advice.

Welcome to the Hagi world ! One advice : begin to save money, for this can become an expensive hobby

[Chip]

Yeah, sometimes resoaking helps get the earthiness out.

There is a good dicussion on fixing Hagi leaks in this topic.

[Victoria]

Thanks for the pics. Nice set! Congrats. I usually warm the cup a little if it is cold by swishing a small amount of hot water inside first. I don't like risking pouring hot tea into a cold cup.

[Stentor]

Just a quick update in case other Hagi-newbies have the same questions.

Last night I filled the cups with hot water (after warming them up gradually) and let it sit for a couple of hours.
The taller one was weeping from one of the tiny holes in the glaze (which is where the moisture at the base came from). It wasn't like it emptied the cup or anything, just water coming through drop by (very small) drop. None of this with the smaller cup.
After a few hours I emptied the cups, wiped them carefully with a towel and left them to dry overnight.

The "damp walls"/earthy smell is gone now as well.

So this morning I had tea out of the taller one and... no dripping at all!
It's a pleasure to use!

Thanks for your tips, guys! I really appreciate it.