Today, I will be making mugs with 4 different patterns. This is "Kaffe", a coffee shop located a 10-minute walk away from Copenhagen Central Station. The interior, surrounded by unique wooden decorations, exudes warmth and provides a very calming space. This time, I have been given the opportunity to craft mugs for Kaffe. I will be creating mugs with 4 different patterns, including "Shinogi" and "Senmon" patterns, so please stay tuned until the end. I have already made the bodies, so I start by attaching handles to the mugs. The method of crafting the handle is introduced in the video titled "Making a Soup Cup". The size of this mug is approximately 350ml. After this, to ensure the moisture content of the main body and the handle is consistent, I will let it rest inside a Styrofoam box. 24 hours later, I've taken it out from the Styrofoam box. I will stamp Kaffe's logo. This stamp was created using a 3D printer. Now, pressing the stamp seal. The first design is named "shinogi-mon", which features wide vertical ridges. The term "shinogi" originates from the ridges on a sword. Using a U-shaped chisel, I carve it shallowly. To give it a softer feeling, I carve slightly wavy lines. If you find it challenging to carve a ridge from top to bottom all at once, you can first carve just the top part like this. Then, carve the rest of the ridge on the lower part. On this second mug, I'll make thinner linear patterns (senmon) using a small chisel. Thin lines are best carved in one continuous motion for a cleaner pattern. On the third mug, I am adding linear patterns using a serrated blade. It's easier to carve from the bottom up. I make sure to leave some space untouched at the lip of the cup. Lastly, I'll introduce the Higaki pattern. One of the traditional patterns often seen in Karatsu Mishima, the Higaki pattern is inspired by a motif of woven thin cypress boards. I'm using black ink as a marker, which will disappear during firing. Some mugs will have white slip applied to the inside. I apply the slip gently with a brush, layering as needed. I will inlay the base of the cup. I carefully fill in the logo with white slip to avoid air bubbles. For a detailed method on inlaying, please check out my video on "Zogan Inlay Technique". Once the slip dries, I shave it off using a trimmer. I carefully shave it little by little, making sure not to remove the patterns. The logo inlay is now done. After drying, I bisque fire the pieces. I apply the white slip using a brush. I layer it to ensure there are no missed spots. This is a "Kohiki" cup. I let it dry. I wipe off the slip from the surface using a sponge. I stir the glaze. I'm using an ash glaze. I wipe off any glaze on the foot with a sponge. The drying and glazing processes are done on sunny days. The glazing is now complete. Next, I'll load the kiln. I fire them at 1245°C (2273℉). After firing, I let everything cool for about 2 days. They came out exactly as intended. I'll pack them up and send them from Japan to Denmark. The mugs have now traveled 6,200 miles. They'll serve us delicious coffee. Kaffe is located on Istedgade Street and is loved by locals. If you're nearby, please drop by. Thank you for watching.
