VOL.213 MARCH 2026
EXPLORING JAPANESE POTTERY Hagi-yaki: Enjoying the Subtle Changes That Emerge in Daily Use

A Hagi-yaki ido chawan,¹ tea bowl made for use in the tea ceremony 
Photo: Hagiyaki Cooperative Association

Hagi-yaki (Hagi ware) is a representative traditional Japanese pottery that has been passed down for over 400 years in Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. This article explores Hagi-yaki, which is characterized by its soft and unassuming appearance, as well as a texture that conveys the warmth of the clay.

Hagi City is a castle town where the town layout (machi-wari)² from the Edo period (early 17th century to mid-late 19th century) has been preserved to the present day. The area offers opportunities to experience the local history and culture, which includes samurai residences and sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution³ registered as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites in 2015. Against this backdrop, Hagi-yaki has been passed down as a traditional craft. Its origins date back to the late 16th century, during the period of conflict between Japan and the Korean Peninsula, according to YOKOMI Hiroshi of the Hagiyaki Cooperative Association.

“Advanced techniques brought by Korean toko, pottery artisans who came to Japan at the time of invasions to the Korean Peninsula by the ruler of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi,⁴ eventually laid the foundations of Hagi-yaki.”

Later, in 1604, when Mori Terumoto⁵ built a castle in Hagi, potters were invited to established kiln in the area known as Matsumoto-ichi, which is located east of the castle town, and began producing pottery there.

“Since the Mori family favored the traditional tea ceremony, known as chanoyu,⁶  there was a demand for pottery to be used as chaki, tea utensils, which led to the flourishing of Hagi-yaki. During the Edo period, under the patronage of the Choshu Domain, which governed present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture, Hagi-yaki continued to be produced as goyo-yaki —pottery made as official wares for the domain.”

In this way, Hagi-yaki was greatly appreciated for its utility as chato, tea ceramics for the tea ceremony and came to be known throughout Japan.

A unique blend of clay is used to make Hagi-yaki, combining multiple clays sourced within Yamaguchi Prefecture, including Daido-tsuchi, Mishima-tsuchi, and Mitake-tsuchi. The clay is shaped with different techniques including use of a potter’s wheel (rokuro) and hand-forming (tebineri),⁸ then fired at low temperature in an initial su-yaki, bisque firing. Next, the pottery is fired at temperatures above 1,200 °C after a glassy coating called a glaze made with materials such as feldspar (a mineral) and ash from wood or straw is applied to the surface. In nobori-gama,⁹ climbing kilns, the effects of flames and ash create colors and patterns by chance known as yohen, resulting in a one-of-a-kind look for each piece.

“Another essential characteristic of Hagi-yaki is kan-nyu (glaze crazing). This refers to the crackle patterns that form on the glaze surface as the piece cools after being fired at high temperatures. This kan-nyu can allow tea or alcohol to slowly seep into the vessel, resulting in subtle changes in color and appearance over time. Hagi-yaki is characterized by gentle firing, rather than strong yakishime,¹⁰ hardening, which gives the ware a high level of liquid absorbency. As the piece is used over time, its kan-nyu gradually shapes its texture and aesthetic appeal, making this another important defining element of Hagi-yaki.”

YOKOMI describes Hagi-yaki as pottery that gradually evolves and matures, changing its appearance as it is used in daily life.

“These changes are referred to as ‘Hagi no nana-bake,’ lit. ‘the seven transformations of Hagi-yaki’. While the phrase includes ‘seven,’ it is not really meant to specify such an exact number; rather it symbolizes the way the pottery changes its appearance in multiple ways over many years of use. Hagi-yaki is not fully completed when it is first made; it gradually evolves and matures through use in owners’ daily lives. One of its greatest charms lies in this process of change. It also offers ways of appreciating the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi.”¹¹

YOKOMI hopes owners will enjoy these “phases of evolving and maturing” as their pieces evolve in color and appearance through long-term use.

“When using Hagi-yaki, it is important to understand its high absorbency. Before first use, soak it in water; after use, wash it promptly and allow it to dry thoroughly. The essential way to appreciate Hagi-yaki is to see slight discoloration or changes in the pottery not as flaws, but as part of the piece’s process of evolving.”

These characteristics of Hagi-yaki have been highly valued in the world of cha no yu. An expression used by masters of the tea ceremony to rank masterpiece pottery forms — “Ichi Raku, ni Hagi, san Karatsu”¹² (“Number one: Raku-yaki; two, Hagi-yaki; three, Karatsu-yaki”) — illustrates how greatly it has been appreciated.

Today, Hagi-yaki is enjoyed not only as tea ware for tea ceremony, but as pottery that naturally blends into daily life and dining, in both Japanese and Western settings. Its greatest charm lies in the way it preserves cultural tradition while resonating with contemporary sensibilities.

• 1. A type of tea bowl fired on the Korean Peninsula around the 15th to 16th centuries. The bowls were highly valued for their simple forms and well-worn appearances.
• 2. A planned urban structure that established separate residential areas for samurai and commoners.
• 3. Sites where Western technologies, machinery, and so on were introduced and developed from the middle of the 19th to the early 20th century. Located in 11 Japanese cities in 8 prefectures, the 23 sites are connected to industries including iron and steel manufacturing, shipbuilding, and coal mining.
• 4. Born in 1536 or 1537, died in 1598. Hideyoshi was a military leader who achieved the unification of Japan during the Warring States period (late 15th to late 16th century), a time of civil war and regional division.
• 5. Born in 1553, died in 1625. A military commander of the Sengoku (late 15th to late 16th century) and Edo (early 17th to the middle of the late 19th century) periods, he built Hiroshima Castle in Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture. (See “Hiroshima Castle: A Symbol of the City,” HIGHLIGHTING Japan, April 2023 issue)
• 6. Chanoyu (Matcha-do) is a tea ceremony in which powdered tea is enjoyed.
• 7. Refers to a workshop where pottery is produced, or to the potters themselves.
• 8. A potter’s wheel (rokuro) is a mechanical device used to create circular vessels using its rotational movement. Hand-forming (tebineri) involves kneading and shaping the clay by hand without the use of a rokuro or mold.
• 9. A kiln built on a sloped surface like a hill, with a succession of firing chambers arranged in a stair-step pattern. With firing performed progressively from the bottom upward, flames and ash flow through the chambers, yielding diverse firing results.
• 10. A firing state achieved by firing pottery at relatively high temperatures for extended periods, causing the clay to become firmer and less absorbent. The stronger the yakishime, the harder the pottery becomes and the more resistant it is to absorbing liquids.
• 11. A term expressing a unique Japanese aesthetic ideal, finding beauty in imperfection, serenity, and simplicity. The concept developed alongside the tea ceremony, representing Japanese aesthetic sensibilities.
• 12. An expression used in the world of the tea ceremony ranking masterpiece forms of tea bowls. The three forms specified as ranking particularly highly are the Raku-yaki from Kyoto, Hagi-yaki from Yamaguchi Prefecture, and Karatsu-yaki from Saga Prefecture (See “Pursuing ‘Beauty in Utility’: The Art and Skill of Karatsu-yaki, a 400-Year Tradition,” HIGHLIGHTING Japan, October 2025 issue). These forms are greatly valued for their distinctive textures and aesthetic characteristics.

By MOROHASHI Kumiko
Photo: Hagiyaki Cooperative Association