Tea Cup - Karatsu Ware - Yunomi, Grasses
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 a straight-sided cylinder, wheel-thrown, with the faint horizontal rings of the throwing still readable around the body and a plain, lightly rounded rim.
Three stems of grass rise from the lower body, leaves falling to either side, drawn in a few unhurried strokes. 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. Grasses are among the traditional subjects of e-garatsu, where a plant drawn simply is left to stand for the whole of the season it belongs to.
The glaze is a soft oatmeal grey, quiet and close to matte across the body, gathering to a light gloss at the rim. It stops above the base, leaving the trimmed foot bare against the pale, sandy clay.
- Style: Yunomi (湯呑み) - tall, handleless everyday tea cup
- Decoration: E-garatsu (絵唐津), iron pigment under a transparent glaze
- Rim diameter: 6cm
- 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.