Recession Series · Northern Song Ru Kiln Lotus-Patterned Zisha Wood-Fired Cup(with Traditional Urushi Lacquer Restoration)

Recession Series｜Echoes of Northern Song Ru Ware ·
Wood-Fired Zisha Lotus Cup from Qingliang Temple (with Traditional Lacquer Repair)
— Three Intangible Heritages in One: Hand-Pinching, Wood-Firing, and Urushi Lacquer Restoration.

“Recession” is not a retreat, but a return—
a return to deeper ground,
to the era when clay and fire were inseparable,
and vessels spoke through texture, flame marks, and quiet strength.

This piece draws its lineage from the lotus cups of Qingliang Temple Ru ware.
The lotus petals are hand-pinched—not a replication,
but an interpretation of Song restraint and clarity.
Fired naked in wood kilns for three days and nights,
its flame marks, ash deposits, and cooling lines are entirely natural.
A fine crack appeared as it left the kiln, later repaired with traditional urushi lacquer,
transforming the fracture into a path of light.

This vessel was born in fire and restored in time.
Hand-pinching is the clay’s origin;
wood-firing is the truth of flame;
lacquer repair is the human hand returning with gentle intention.

The three ancient techniques give the vessel three breaths of life—
birth, ordeal, and illumination.
The crack is no longer a flaw, but the vessel’s way of speaking fate;
the lacquer line does not conceal, but lights a warm, quiet lamp for destiny.

Its walls shimmer with layers of purplish brown, ochre red, and smoky blue—
as though the glow of fragmented Song ware were rekindled.
A subtle inward lip and outward belly give the form stability and calm,
bearing both the archaic spirit of clay and the serenity of time.

This is Zisha’s quiet glance back toward the Song dynasty,
and the pursuit of “Recession”:
— To recede is not to withdraw;
— To recede is to return to the vessel’s original breath;
— The crack is Heaven’s work;
— The repair is the artisan’s heart;
— Vessel and human together complete destiny.