need a place to buy chawan/matcha bowls

[britt]

I am looking for a reliable place to purchase matcha chawans. I am always afraid of the lead/chemicals etc used to acheive the vibrant colors etc. Preferably a unglazed chawan would be perfect. Anything within a reasonable price range possible guys?
Thanks...

Magokorodo on Trocadero-

Hidehisa has recently added several Bizen chawan at USD 125 and below. Bizen ware is typically unglazed.

c-1256 Hagi-Bizen by Seigan Yamane @ $80. This appears to be unglazed although that is not specifically stated.

c-1225 by Shunko-Enn @ $120

c-1152 by Shunko-Enn @ 125.50

I've purchased 7 matcha chawan from Magokorodo (on Trocadero) and have been very happy with these purchases. Hidehisa is very pleasant to deal with and gives exceptional service even by Japanese standards, which are typically very high. I haven't purchased anything from his Ebay store, but his positive feedback record is incredible.

If you decide to try glazed chawan, Artistic Nippon just added four chawan with 2 each at USD $28 and USD $37. The cheaper ones actually look quite nice.

Maiko Tea Shop also has a decent selection of lower priced glazed chawan. I like the ones on their second site, which you can link to from the left hand column of their main page. It is labeled Authentically! Made in Japan. Once there, click the matcha bowl link and it will list them high priced first. Towards the last pages, there is a good selection of lower priced chawan.

[scruffmcgruff]

That said, concerning lead or chemicals, glazed Chawan should be fine if it is high-fired like Arita ware. From what I understand, the only potential concern is low-fired pottery like Raku, and even then, I wouldnt worry too much about lead and chemicals... perhaps just use a high-fired Chawan for your everyday uses and reserve Raku for special occasions.

The only danger would be if you drank an acid (citrus juice, for example) from the glazed chawan; it's really not something you need to be concerned with if you're just using it for matcha.