Guinomi Sake Cup / Delicacy Dish — Five Kilns

These are guinomi sake cups, made by Kazufumi Wada, the fourth-generation master of the Keizan kiln in Toki City, Gifu Prefecture. A guinomi is a drinking vessel used mainly for sake. Each cup is thrown individually on the potter's wheel to sit comfortably in the palm, and the set contains five.

The guinomi is a vessel that grew up alongside tea culture, and it is sometimes called a miniature version of the tea bowl. Precisely because it is small, it is said to reveal the maker's character most clearly — so much so that people say you can judge a potter's skill simply by looking at a guinomi. Potters give these small vessels their closest attention and craft them with exceptional care. For that reason, sake vessels — along with tea utensils and flower vessels — hold a status quite apart from ordinary everyday ware.

Beyond enjoying sake, they are handy whenever you want to serve just a little: condiments, pickles, a single bite of a side dish. Line up all five and the everyday table takes on a festive air.

Wada selects and blends the clay and the glazes himself. He shapes each piece on the wheel and fires it. Even with the same clay and the same techniques, the finished colors vary. Form and size, too, differ slightly from one piece to the next. Iron speckles, uneven coloring, glaze runs, pinholes, small marks and slight warping are all part of the individuality born inside the kiln and from the work of the hand.

What is made by hand sits well in the hand. Small yet easy to hold, these cups are a pleasure to use casually at the daily table. They arrive in a wooden box, making them well suited as a gift.