Tuibuji Series｜Wood-fired Bowl with Song Dynasty Banana-Leaf Motif(Hand-built · Wood-fired · Lacquer Restoration)

Retreating, in Tuibuji, does not mean stepping back.
It means returning—
to the origin of the vessel,
to the sincerity of the hand,
to the quiet heart of ancient aesthetics.

This bowl draws from the Song Dynasty banana-leaf motif,
a pattern of restraint and quiet order.

Fired for three days and nights in an open wood kiln,
the surface bears ash, contraction lines, and the traces of flame.
A sudden shift in temperature caused the bowl to crack—
an unavoidable fate in true wood firing.

The crack was restored using traditional lacquer repair,
not to conceal,
but to give the fracture a direction,
a path for light to travel.

Hand-building is the vessel’s first breath.
Wood firing, the second.
Lacquer restoration, the third—
the breath given by human intention.

A crack is heaven’s work.
Repair is the craftsman’s heart.
Through both, the vessel becomes whole in a deeper way.