Japanese Pair Tableware: Gifts to Share Between Two
Some gifts are meant for one person. Others are meant to be shared. In Japan, a pair of matching pieces — two rice bowls, two teacups, two glasses — is one of the most loved gifts for a couple, given for weddings, anniversaries and long-life celebrations, and enjoyed every day at the table the two people share.
This guide explains what Japanese pair tableware is, and introduces pairs from Japan’s master kilns and lacquer workshops: pieces for everyday meals and tea, glasses and cups for a toast, and pairs made for a special day.
Meoto: the Japanese tradition of “husband and wife” pieces
Cherry blossoms painted in color on a rice bowl from Jin Kiln.
In Japanese, a married couple is called meoto, and a pair of rice bowls made for two is a meoto chawan — literally, “husband-and-wife bowls”. Pairs of teacups are meoto yunomi. Traditionally, the two pieces of a pair were made in slightly different sizes, a larger one and a smaller one, but many pairs today are made in the same size, so that either person can use either piece.
Because the two pieces are used side by side, day after day, a pair has long been a gift that carries a wish for a long and harmonious life together. A set that brings together a pair of rice bowls and a pair of teacups is called mutsuzoroi, from mutsumajii, a word for a couple who live in close harmony.
Pairs for every day
Rice is at the heart of the Japanese meal, and a rice bowl is the piece a person holds in the hand most often. Gagyu Kiln’s pair shows egrets painted over milky-white hakeme brushwork, with a striking sense of depth that reflects a traditional technique recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of Nagasaki Prefecture; it is a popular gift for long-life celebrations. Jin Kiln, a renowned kiln that has had the honor of presenting its work to the Emperor, painted the cherry blossoms on its pair realistically, capturing their brief beauty in spring. The pair is made exclusively for JTOPIA.
For coffee and tea, Shinemon Kiln’s Ginga (“galaxy”) mugs hold a glittering night sky, with dark specks like obsidian and flowing streaks of white like shooting stars. The crystals form differently on every piece, and the mugs can go in the microwave and the dishwasher. From Jin Kiln, a pair of yunomi teacups shows cherry blossoms and a pair of birds in close company, painted entirely by hand in fine lines on smooth white porcelain in the Kakiemon style. Each cup is painted differently, so the two are never quite the same.
Shinemon Kiln’s Saiun set brings a pair of rice bowls and a pair of yunomi together. Saiun — “colored clouds” — depicts the sky as it flushes red, a technique Shinemon developed from shinsha, a glaze known for its ruby color. In this set, the yunomi come in two sizes, larger and smaller.
Pairs for a toast
Kihaku Glass from Uchiki, scattered with gold and silver leaf.
A pair of glasses or cups is a natural gift for two people who enjoy a drink together. Shinemon Kiln’s Hananohikari pair, glazed in deep red shinsha, opens at the rim like a flower in bloom, with a touch of real gold. Its free-cup shape suits shochu, beer, iced coffee or iced tea. For sake, Shinemon’s Aoki-Myojo Youkou Gekkou cups take the tenmoku shape that goes back to the yuteki tenmoku tea bowls designated National Treasures of Japan. Youkou means sunlight and gekkou moonlight: the gold and silver rims are reflected in the jet-black glaze, where the spots shine like a meteor shower.
Japanese lacquer craft has also found its way into wine glasses. In Kishu, one of Japan’s great lacquerware regions, with more than 400 years of history, the lacquer artist Yoshihiko Fujii joined lacquer and glass in red and white decorated with gold and silver leaf, using his own technique to protect the lacquered surface for everyday use. From Yamanaka, Uchiki’s Kihaku Glass is scattered with gold and silver leaf by skilled artisans, so that no two patterns are ever the same.
![Yamanaka Lacquerware - [Kihaku Glass] Pair of Wine Glasses "Albus"](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0797/4227/1763/files/5525_01_1200.jpg)
Pairs for a special day
Aoki-Myojo Youkou Gekkou mutsuzoroi from Shinemon Kiln.
For a wedding, a milestone anniversary or a long-life celebration, some pairs are made to be treasured. Fujii Kinsai Kiln’s rice bowls are a pair of the same size, painted in somenishiki — cobalt blue under the glaze with colors and gold above — with cherry blossoms, chrysanthemums and peonies set among fine ground patterns and a touch of pale yellow. Shinemon Kiln’s Seiten mugs are based on the yuteki tenmoku technique prized by feudal lords such as Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, with rims in real gold and platinum, colors that express everlasting happiness.
Shinemon Kiln’s Aoki-Myojo Youkou Gekkou mutsuzoroi brings together a pair of rice bowls and a pair of yunomi, where sunlight and moonlight seem to float in a jet-black universe. Shinemon is a master of yohen (kiln-transformed) glazes and a recipient of the Tokusen special prize at the Nitten, Japan’s largest fine art exhibition.
Every piece in this guide comes in a paulownia wood box, except the Kishu lacquer wine glasses, which come in a gift box — ready to give.
