A bright, peaceable morning mug. Three small Mejiro birds — green-headed, yellow-throated, blue-tailed — sit close together on a hand-painted branch, with turquoise leaves and small yellow berries rounding out the scene. Made in Ishikawa Prefecture by Seikō Kiln (青郊窯), one of Kutani's most-respected contemporary workshops, on classic Kutani-ware white porcelain.
Quick facts
| Maker |
Seikō Kiln (青郊窯) — contemporary Kutani-ware workshop, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan |
| Series |
めじろ / Mejiro — Japanese white-eye bird motif |
| Material |
Porcelain (Kutani-ware tradition) |
| Capacity |
~300 mL (~10.1 fl oz) |
| Diameter |
~8.5 cm (3.3") at the rim |
| Height |
~8.2 cm (3.2") |
| Weight |
~400 g (~14 oz / 0.9 lb) |
| Workshop signature |
cursive 青郊 (Seikō) cobalt-and-black calligraphy on the foot |
| Origin |
Made in Japan |
What is a Mejiro?
目白 / Mejiro (Japanese white-eye / Zosterops japonicus) is a small songbird native to Japan — green back, yellow throat, distinctive white eye-ring, and a clear, lilting song. They appear in early spring on plum, cherry, and citrus trees, often in pairs or small groups, fluffed against the cold. In Japanese painting and ceramics, Mejiro symbolize early spring, gentle companionship, and an everyday sense of warmth.
Why "three birds" matters
Most Mejiro mugs from competing Kutani workshops feature ONE bird on a branch. Seikō Kiln specifically composes three Mejiro across the wraparound design — typically a cuddled pair plus a watching third — as a friendlier, more populated scene. The composition is the signature.
The 13 painted details on this mug
- Three Mejiro birds (green head, yellow throat, white belly, blue tail feathers)
- "Cuddled pair + watching third" composition
- Hand-drawn brown branch with iron-oxide dotted bark texture
- Yellow round berries clustered along the branch
- Turquoise / teal painted leaves with darker venation
- Second leaf cluster on the back side near the handle
- Brown iron-oxide rim line (Tetsue 鉄絵) — Kutani signature finishing
- Cobalt-blue base line above the foot
- Subtly faceted rim (~12-sided cross-section)
- Loop ear handle in matching white porcelain
- 青郊 (Seikō) workshop signature on the bottom
- Inside continuation of the brown iron-oxide rim line
- Wraparound composition — the branch and birds extend continuously around the body
About Kutani ware and Seikō Kiln
Kutani ware (九谷焼) is one of Japan's most decorated porcelain traditions, originating in 1655 in Ishikawa Prefecture. The "Kutani Five Colors" — green, yellow, red, purple, and navy blue — applied as overglaze enamels on white porcelain define the tradition. Seikō Kiln (青郊窯, literally "Blue Suburbs") is a contemporary Kutani workshop in Komatsu, Ishikawa, known for clean, illustrative bird-and-floral motifs that translate the four-century-old tradition into mugs and tableware sized for daily use.
Use cases
- Single coffee, latte, hojicha, sencha, or matcha (300 mL is a comfortable single-cup pour)
- Hand-friendly with a comfortable loop handle
- Daily-use mug, not display-only
FAQ
Why three birds and not one? Seikō Kiln's signature composition for this Mejiro design — most other Kutani workshops paint a single bird. The cuddled pair + watching third is a friendlier scene.
Is this microwave / dishwasher safe? The maker does not state this. Treat as hand-wash hand-painted ware.
What are the yellow berries? Likely loquat (枇杷) or mandarin (蜜柑) — both are traditional Mejiro perches in Japanese ceramic painting.
Will the painted colors fade? No — these are kiln-fired overglaze enamels, not surface application. Treat as you would any porcelain (hand-wash recommended).
Is the mug shaped slightly faceted at the rim? Yes — the rim is subtly polygonal (12-sided cross-section) rather than perfectly circular. That's a Seikō Kiln craftsmanship detail, not a defect.
About ZenKiln
ZenKiln is a Japan-based curator connecting international collectors with Japan's artisan ceramic tradition. We work closely with the kilns, workshops, and makers featured in our shop — each one disclosed in our About section — and hand-pack every piece in Japan for safe delivery worldwide.
