Color Shade Variations

Each piece has individual color shade variations. Affected by glazes and natural firing conditions such as changes in temperature, humidity and other climate elements and also how to receive the fire in the kiln chamber, each piece has own expression. It is really difficult to make the completed ware exactly same in color by firing and glazing even when the same materials are used. 100 pieces show 100 kinds of expressions, as it were.

Color Irregularities

There are color irregularities of applying a glaze or slip, which are different from part to part in a piece of ware. For example, some parts are glazed thinly or thickly depending on the shape of the ware. That leads to part-to-part subtle differences in appearance of the clay in a piece of ware.

Glaze or Slip Drips

The glaze or slip may look like dripping. There is unevenness of a glaze or slip when they are applied to ware by hand. There also appear glaze drips or slip drips, which are caused by the glaze or slip flows during firing.

Pinholes

Pinholes may be seen clearly on the surface. Pottery (earthenware) is mainly made from earth, and green ware contains a lot of air while biscuit firing. While glazed firing, this air inside the biscuit ware becomes air bubbles, which remain and look like small holes on the surface of the glazed part. Those small holes are called pinholes.

Crazing (Chaps)

Crazing (having chaps) may appear clearly on the glazed part. The “direct” crazing means having chaps originally. The “aging” crazing means having chaps over time as you use the tableware item. There is a difference between the shrinkage rate of the glaze and that of the clay, so crazing occurs. Note that those cracks do not come from the damage of tableware items. They might appear just before use, but it is no problem in terms of use. They appear on the surface of pottery (earthenware) and semi-porcelain.

Iron in Powder

Iron in powder may be seen clearly on the surface. Pottery (earthenware) is made from earth, which contains iron. After firing green ware, iron appears on the surface in the form of black dots. Red or black earthen clay contains much more iron, and as a result, not a little iron in powder may appear on the surface of tableware items made from this type of clay.