{"product_id":"arita-ko-imari-wisteria-cup-saucer-set","title":"Arita Imari Wisteria Coffee Cup \u0026 Saucer (Sehei-gama, Ko-Imari, 160 ml)","description":"\u003cp\u003eA hand-painted Arita-yaki \/ Hasami-yaki coffee cup and saucer set in the classic 古伊万里 (Ko-Imari) cartouche tradition, made by Sehei-gama (瀬兵窯) in Saga Prefecture. Four alternating panels move around the cup body — two vermillion-red overglaze enamel (\u003cem\u003eakae\u003c\/em\u003e 赤絵) ground panels carrying white scrolled leaves and gold tracery, alternating with two white reserves painted with the named motif: cascading purple-lavender wisteria (藤 \u003cem\u003efuji\u003c\/em\u003e) joined by sakura (cherry blossom) and small yellow chrysanthemum-like florets on a green flowering branch. The 6-lobe scalloped (\u003cem\u003erinka\u003c\/em\u003e 輪花) rim is finished with a cobalt \u003cem\u003esometsuke\u003c\/em\u003e band of stylised wave-cloud scrollwork and small gold-outlined (\u003cem\u003ekinsai\u003c\/em\u003e 金彩) daisy roundels, with a hair-line gold trim along the lip. The cup stands on a tall pedestal (高台 \u003cem\u003ekōdai\u003c\/em\u003e) foot decorated with cobalt \u003cem\u003eseigaiha\u003c\/em\u003e 青海波 wave fill. The matching saucer carries the same composition in radial bands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe motif — Wisteria (藤 \/ Fuji)\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWisteria has been a central late-spring \/ early-summer auspicious motif in Japanese decorative arts since the Heian period. Its long, cascading flower clusters symbolise longevity, gentleness, and the renewal of the seasonal cycle; the plant became historically associated with the Fujiwara (藤原, “wisteria field”) noble lineage. Joined here by sakura — the cherry blossom that opens the season — and yellow chrysanthemum-like florets, the painted reserve panels form a multi-flower bouquet across the cup body and saucer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy this is Ko-Imari (古伊万里)\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 came to describe a recognisable decorative grammar: alternating panels of saturated overglaze red and white sometsuke reserves, often finished with gold for high-tier pieces. This set follows that grammar — red akae 赤絵 + cobalt sometsuke 染付 + green \/ yellow \/ aubergine enamels + overglaze gold 金彩 kinsai trim — placing it firmly in the Ko-Imari tradition that informed European chinoiserie tableware for two centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAt the table\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEspresso, ristretto, or short coffee (~160 mL sits between demitasse and a full coffee mug — petite, restrained)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJapanese tea — sencha, hojicha, gyokuro — held by the handle without burning fingers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWagashi or small fruit dessert plated on the saucer\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDisplay piece on an open shelf — pair with cobalt-blue stacking ware for a Ko-Imari corner\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"ZenKiln","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47487585911014,"sku":"ZK-CUPSAUC-NANPU-KJK10431","price":51.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/5392\/5350\/files\/il_fullxfull.7582269790_de34.jpg?v=1774622233","url":"https:\/\/zen-kiln.com\/en-gb\/products\/arita-ko-imari-wisteria-cup-saucer-set","provider":"ZenKiln","version":"1.0","type":"link"}