This stunning yunomi (teacup) is glazed with a beautiful silvery-blue yuteki (oil spot) tenmoku glaze.

The term 'tenmoku' can refer to two things: the shape of a bowl, i.e. conical with a finger groove and flare at the lip; and a dark high-iron glaze that can produce various beautiful effects under the right firing conditions. Both of these originated in Jian ware from Fujian during the Song dynasty (960-1279) in China, where the dark colour of the glaze was praised for the way it contrasts nicely with the froth of whisked tea.

While most Tenmoku glazes are a simple black, occasionally the glaze recipe and the conditions in the kiln are just right, causing the ash in the glaze to separate from the iron in a way that produces beautiful metallic effects, such as the one seen on this cup, called 'yuteki', meaning 'oil-spot'.

Made by Tachikichi (橘吉) in Shigaraki.


Dimensions:

8.8cm (3.5in) - width
5.9cm (2.3in) - height
140ml - capacity

Condition: Like new

This vintage Japanese item ships from Thailand

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