Saturday, April 22, 2017

Tableware for Tea Time 1

Most people in Japan love tea time.  It gives us workaholic Japanese a valid excuse to take a breather from our hectic day.  Tea time is a precious, relaxing moment when we step away from work to sit down, talk with one another, and reconnect.

“Let’s have some tea.”, “Would you like some tea?”, and “I’ll pour some tea.” are common phrases used throughout the day between one another.  When we happen to meet up with a friend on a street, we have a quick chat and often say goodbye with “Let’s have some tea next time.” Even an old, stereotypical pick-up line is “Wanna go have some tea?”.  Tea seems to play a unique role in creating intimacy between people in Japan, perhaps because of the long history of influence from the Japanese tea ceremony, a ceremony of hospitality that creates intimacy between the host and the guest.


We believe a moment of tea time will be even more pleasurable experience if you have a special tea set, so we gathered a wonderful selection of items related to tea time for our event “Tableware for Tea Time” that started last week.   The following are some of the lovely items from our event that we are excited to introduce. 




 [Saori Yamazaki   Small Teapot 9,720 yen    Large Teapot 12,960 yen]

The beautiful sisters of tea pots with vine handles by Saori Yamazaki are looking radiant on display.   Yamazaki-san specializes in making tea wares in Kasama City, a city historically known for pottery making.  The teapots that Yamazaki-san makes are highly sought after by not just Japanese customers but by our overseas customers as well because they are known to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing.    The stylish, delicate form of the teapots is carefully crafted so that the spout does not drip on the side. 


 [Saori Yamazaki   Teapot] 

We are charmed by the stunning shade variation and refined form of these pots. 


 [Manabu Tanaka   Teapot 10,800 yen]

We adore this teapot by Fukui Prefecture artisan Manabu Tanaka for its soft, gentle blue and the simple form with faceted surface.  The teapot is big enough to serve tea and coffee for a group of people.  


 [Keishi Tanaka    Teapot 8640 yen    Medium Size Plate 7560 yen]

The high fired unglazed teapot by Keishi Tanaka based in Shiga Prefecture is a quiet, understated piece that reveals its true beauty after years of regular use.  Tanaka-san pride his high fired unglazed works for its durability and claims that after decades of use, his pieces gradually change their expression and in the end, they almost resemble wood.  He says that the long hours of firing with wood enables the fire to thoroughly reach to the core of the ware, thereby making his work durable for many decades of use.  The ash from wood firing gives each piece unique finish with variance in rustic pattern and color. 


[Tetsuya Kowari   Teapot  21,600 yen   Plate 2,700 yen  Cup 3,240 yen]

Tetsuya Kowari from Fujinomiya City near the foot of Mount Fuji makes pieces that are steeped in the tradition of Shigaraki-ware but also have one of a kind presence with strong, bold form.  This wood fired tea set is sure to attract attention when used in tea time and will also be a wonderful wall display. 


 [Akira Yamada   Cofee Cup & Saucer 10,800 yen    Tea Pot 21,600 yen]

Though the word “tea” is oftentimes associated with Japanese green tea, we often say “tea break” even when we drink coffee and black tea, which is why we asked some of our artisans to make pieces that go well with coffee for this event.

Kyoto Prefecture artist Akira Yamada makes beautiful pieces with stunning colors and modern, stylish design.  The remarkable contrast of scarlet and silver of this coffee cup & saucer is quite unique, and sure to make your coffee time a special moment.  



Our event “Tableware for Tea Time” will be held for a month at our store.  Please take this opportunity to find your favorite piece for a relaxing tea time. 

[Tableware for Tea Time]

Teaware for green tea, black tea, and Chinese Tea, as well as coffee cups, mugs, and accessories.  

April 15th (Sat.) ~ May 14th (Sun.)


Artisans:   Fuminari Araga, Maki Oida, Kazuhiko Kudo, Taira Kuroki, Tetsuya Kowari, Shiho Takada, Keishi Tanaka, Manabu Tanaka, Michihiro Domoto & Kumiko Domoto, Kenichi Muso, Takahiro Yahagi, Saori Yamazaki, Akira Yamada, and others. 

No comments:

Post a Comment