This magnificent yunomi (teacup) is made from white porcelain. It has a red brush glaze, a slightly blue tinted exterior glaze, and is repaired by kintsugi. Made by Asahi-yaki (朝日焼), a world-renowned pottery workshop in Uji (near Kyoto) that dates back 16 generations and was founded over 400 years ago. While today they make a variety of high-quality ceramics, they were founded solely to perfect teaware for use in Japanese tea ceremonies. Today, the kiln is run by 15th generation potter Housai Matsubayashi and his son Yuusuke.

Once damaged, this chawan has been repaired with traditional kintsugi that has been gold powdered on the outside, but left in its original black urushi lacquer on the inside.

Kintsugi (金継ぎ - gold joinery) is a ceramic repair technique in which chips, cracks, and broken pieces are repaired with urushi lacquer, which is either mixed or dusted with precious metal powder, typically gold or silver. Rather than hiding the damage, the use of precious metals highlights the flaws, which tells the story of the item’s wear and repair over time, and ties into the Buddhist concept of mushin (無心 - no mind) which embraces such imperfection.

The technique and philosophy of kintsugi has long been associated with chanoyu (茶の湯) or the Japanese tea ceremony, where it has been used on many famous pieces. The earliest examples were often repaired with simple black or red urushi lacquer, which is less ornate and more wabi or humble. Though the technique of lacquer repair dates as far back as the Jomon period, it was supposedly first introduced to the tea room by Furuta Oribe (古田織部) in the late 16th to early 17th century.

Dimensions:

8.2cm (3.2in) - width
4.9cm (1.9in) - height
50ml - capacity

Condition: Very good

This vintage Japanese item ships from Thailand