{"product_id":"arita-four-gentlemen-cup-saucer-set","title":"Arita Imari Coffee Cup \u0026 Saucer — Hand-Painted Shu-Dami Shikunshi","description":"\u003cp\u003eA hand-painted Arita-yaki \/ Hasami-yaki coffee cup and saucer set decorated in the classic 古伊万里 (Old Imari) cartouche tradition. Four alternating panels move around the cup body — two saturated vermillion (\u003cem\u003eshu-dami\u003c\/em\u003e 朱濃) overglaze enamel grounds filled with a fine plum-blossom diaper, alternating with two white reserves painted with \u003cem\u003eshikunshi\u003c\/em\u003e (四君子, the Four Noble Plants — plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum) and a small blue bird perched on a flowering branch. The saucer carries the same four-panel scheme.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe motif — Four Noble Plants (Shikunshi)\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e四君子 (“the four gentlemen”) is a Confucian set of four virtuous plants — plum for resilience through winter, orchid for quiet integrity, bamboo for upright flexibility, chrysanthemum for steadfast longevity. As a decorative cycle on porcelain it dates back to Ming-dynasty Chinese precedents and was adopted into Imari export ware from the late 17th century onward.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy this is Imari-style\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Imari” refers to the port through which Arita-yaki porcelain was historically shipped abroad. By the early Edo period, the term described a recognisable decorative grammar: alternating panels of saturated overglaze red and white sometsuke reserves with multi-colour enamels. This set follows that grammar in red + blue + green + yellow polychrome (no gold), placing it in the everyday-use Imari tradition rather than the high-court 金蘭手 kinrande line.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAt the table\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEspresso or short coffee (~200 mL is generous for espresso, restrained for filter)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJapanese tea — sencha, hojicha, gyokuro — handheld with handle\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWagashi or fruit dessert plating on the saucer\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDisplay piece on an open shelf paired with cobalt-blue stacking ware\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"ZenKiln","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47487585681638,"sku":"ZK-CUPSAUC-NANPU-KJK10639","price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/5392\/5350\/files\/il_fullxfull.7630325971_jo59.jpg?v=1774622232","url":"https:\/\/zen-kiln.com\/en-gb\/products\/arita-four-gentlemen-cup-saucer-set","provider":"ZenKiln","version":"1.0","type":"link"}