To make hidasuki ware, pieces are wrapped in straw soaked in brine (salt water) and placed into saggars prior to firing. This process can be seen in this contemporary photograph of the loading of the saggar. During the firing process, the straw burns away, leaving a 'flash' of sodium vapor on the surface of the pot, which causes a slight glaze formation. These glaze flashes turn the light colored stoneware to a reddish orange color, and show the areas where the straw was in contact with the body.
BIZEN hidasuki ware being loaded into a saggar
