{"product_id":"arita-yunomi-tea-cup","title":"Arita Hasami Soba Choko, Tokushichi-Gama Hand-Painted Cherry Yunomi 8 cm","description":"\u003cp\u003eA small porcelain cup from \u003cstrong\u003eTokushichi-gama (徳七窯)\u003c\/strong\u003e in the Arita \/ Hasami porcelain corridor on the Saga \/ Nagasaki prefectural border. Both \u003cstrong\u003eArita-yaki (有田焼)\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eHasami-yaki (波佐見焼)\u003c\/strong\u003e are designated METI Traditional Crafts (Arita 1977, Hasami 1978), and many modern kilns straddle both classifications because they share the same kaolin clay, the same 1300°C reduction firing, and the same overglaze-enamel decorative idiom. This kiln is classified under both ware-lines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe form is a \u003cstrong\u003eそば猟口 soba choko\u003c\/strong\u003e — the small tapered cup the Edo-period Arita potters first developed in the late 1600s to hold dipping sauce for cold soba noodles — and the same vessel also serves as a \u003cstrong\u003e湯呑 yunomi\u003c\/strong\u003e, an everyday tea cup. At 160 ml capacity and 8 cm diameter \/ 6.5 cm height, it sits in the size band where either use is comfortable. In a Japanese home it serves equally well as soba dipping cup, tea cup, sake cup (large pour), small dessert cup, or sauce \/ dressing ramekin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe decoration is hand-painted (手描 tegaki). The motif reads as \u003cstrong\u003esakuranbo (さくらんぼ \/ 桜桃)\u003c\/strong\u003e — clustered cherry fruits, painted as soft red bossed dots scattered across the white porcelain surface, each one ringed by an unglazed thin halo where the iron-oxide enamel meets the clear gloss, and connected by slim brown iron-pigment branch-stems that fork and bend across the body. The painting is loose and gestural rather than tightly drafted — the kind of brushwork that makes each piece slightly different from its neighbours on the kiln shelf, which is part of the appeal of hand-painted everyday Arita\/Hasami work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout this maker\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMade by Tokushichi-gama \/ Arita-yaki \u0026amp; Hasami-yaki porcelain in Saga and Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, curated by ZenKiln\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e徳七窯 (Tokushichi-gama) is a porcelain kiln that produces hand-painted everyday tableware in the Arita \/ Hasami corridor. Arita is older and more famous (Japan's first porcelain town, 1616, founded after Korean potter Yi Sam-pyeong identified kaolin at Izumiyama), while Hasami in neighbouring Nagasaki ran in parallel through the same Edo centuries, producing the higher-volume everyday porcelain that supplied Japan's daily tables. In modern practice the two regions share kilns and techniques, which is why pieces like this are classified under both ware-lines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eUse \u0026amp; care\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA dual-purpose vessel — equally at home as soba dipping cup, daily tea cup, small dessert cup, or condiment ramekin. Hand-wash recommended for the hand-painted decoration; microwave and dishwasher safety not specified, so we default to conservative care guidance — confirm with us before machine-washing or microwaving. Avoid scouring pads on the painted areas.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ZenKiln","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47487590334694,"sku":"ZK-CUP-TOKUSHICHIGAMA-SAKURANBO-SOBA-CHOKO-8CM","price":21.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/5392\/5350\/files\/il_fullxfull.7537980217_kuem.jpg?v=1774970961","url":"https:\/\/zen-kiln.com\/en-gb\/products\/arita-yunomi-tea-cup","provider":"ZenKiln","version":"1.0","type":"link"}