萩焼 (Hagi-yaki)
Hagi-yaki (萩焼) is the feudal domain pottery of Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture — established by Korean potters brought to Japan after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Korean campaigns (1592–1598) and producing the distinctive soft-bodied, highly porous stoneware tea bowls prized for the 'seven transformations of Hagi' (萩の七化け hagi no nanahenge): the progressive color change of the bowl's surface through long use with tea — the porous clay absorbs tea oils over years, shifting the glaze color from pale cream to deep amber. The Hagi tea aesthetic is wabi (侘び) in its purest expression: the bowl is valued more after decades of use than when new. The technical knowledge centers on the local Mishima and Daido clay combination that produces the correct porosity for nanahenge, and the kairagi (貫入 — crackle glaze) pattern that develops through the clay-glaze mismatch.
Risk level: Endangered · Japan national Important Traditional Craft Product
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