This delicate and elegant Kiyomizu-yaki porcelain senchawan (sencha cup) is hand-decorated with the auspicious shippo (Æ߱¦) crest using the icchin (¥¤¥åÁ¥ó) technique. Icchin involves loading slip (liquid clay) into a piping bag, and trailing it onto the pot to create designs with dimension. On this piece, each shippo-mon is further accented by alternating dots of silver and gold at their centre.
With a classic tulip shape and a modest 40ml capacity, this cup is ideal for savouring high-grade sencha, though can be used for any purpose. The pure white of porcelain also allows you to appreciate the colour and clarity of the tea.
This cup was made by Takashima Shinichi (¸ߍu É÷һ) of K¨shun Kiln (›²´º¸G), a third generation potter who specialises in cochin-style wares (k¨chi-yaki).
Kiyomizu-yaki (ÇåˮŸ†) (also called Shimizu-yaki) is a type of Japanese pottery that traditionally comes from Goj¨zaka district near Kiyomizu Temple, in Kyoto, Japan. A subset of Kyo-yaki which refers to all pottery made in the Kyoto area, Kiyomizu ware has been produced since the 16th century
