Recumbent bottle (Yokobe)

This yokobe, a barrel-shaped vessel with its neck on its side, was made for storing liquids, primarily sake. It was constructed by coiling strips of clay and smoothing them, while on the wheel, through tataki (paddling) with wooden tools. Fired on its side in a high-temperature, Korean-style, single-chamber tunnel kiln (anagama), the vessel encountered falling ash and took on a streaked surface.

Ash glaze is among the earliest types of glaze in ceramic history. It forms when natural wood ash, rich in calcium and alkalies, fuses with the clay body under intense heat to produce a translucent greenish layer. The streaks, gradations, and speckled patterns embody a kind of accidental beauty, having been born from the interaction of the materials and the firing conditions. Because each firing yields unique results, potters have long regarded these effects as a creative collaboration with the kiln itself.