Tea Cup - Karatsu Ware - Yunomi, Flowering Stem
Karatsu ware yunomi (湯呑み - tea cup), for sencha, houjicha and everyday loose leaf tea. The yunomi is the cup of daily drinking: taller than it is wide, without a handle, and held in both hands so that the warmth of the tea reaches the palms. Where the chawan is used to whisk and drink matcha, and the kumidashi is brought out for a guest, the yunomi is the cup one reaches for oneself.
The form is wheel-thrown and gently waisted, drawn in at the middle and opening again towards the rim and the base, so that the cup settles into the hand rather than standing straight in it.
A single flowering stem runs the full height of the body: the flower head set high near the rim, the stem falling away beneath it, the leaves spreading low above the foot. This is e-garatsu (絵唐津), the painted style that Karatsu is known for, in which the design is brushed onto the body in onibai (鬼板), an iron-bearing pigment, then covered with a transparent glaze and fired, so the drawing lies beneath the surface rather than on it. Karatsu is said to be the first Japanese ware to carry painted decoration of this kind.
The glaze is a warm tan, close in colour to the clay beneath it, finely speckled where iron in the body has come through. It stops short of the base, leaving the trimmed foot ring bare so that the sandy clay can be seen and felt.
- Style: Yunomi (湯呑み) - tall, handleless everyday tea cup
- Decoration: E-garatsu (絵唐津), iron pigment under a transparent glaze
- Rim diameter: 5.8cm
- Height: 8cm
- Packaging: protective wrapping
- Suitable for: sencha, houjicha, bancha, any loose leaf tea
Each cup is thrown and painted individually, so no two carry the same brushwork. The cup you receive will differ slightly from the one photographed in the weight of the strokes and the depth of the glaze.
About Karatsu ware
Karatsu ware (唐津焼, Karatsu-yaki) is a traditional style of Japanese pottery from Karatsu, in Saga Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu. It is known for its earthy, rustic beauty and understated elegance, often used for tea ceremonies and everyday ware. Common features include:
- Natural glazes (like ash or feldspar)
- Muted, warm colours - cream, brown, grey
- Brush-decorated designs like grasses, birds, or abstract motifs
- A focus on wabi-sabi aesthetics - beauty in imperfection
Karatsu ware dates back to the late 16th century and was heavily influenced by Korean potters.