A pair of rice bowls of the same size.

Inspired by an Important Cultural Property
Made by Shinemon Kiln — winner of the Nitten Special Prize, the highest award in the world of Japanese ceramics — taking inspiration from the Shiro Tenmoku Tea Bowl, an Important Cultural Property. A JTOPIA special offering.

A Bowl the Warlords Knew
The Shiro Tenmoku Tea Bowl is recorded in tea gathering accounts from the end of the medieval period into the early modern era — including its use at a tea gathering held by Oda Nobunaga in the eleventh month of 1573 — and is widely known as a piece loved by the great commanders of the warring states.

Shiro Tenmoku
Crystal patterns like a snowscape, appearing on a beautiful, fine-grained white porcelain surface with a translucency to it. The beauty of shiro tenmoku, representative of Arita white porcelain, has the unmixed purity of something that will remain a standard however many years pass. A lustrous, delicate work — as though the Japanese sense of beauty toward white had crystallised and would never fade.

About Arita Ware
Arita ware is the origin of Japanese porcelain. In 1616, under the rule of the Saga domain lord Naoshige Nabeshima, pottery stone was found in what is now Saga Prefecture and production began. Because the wares were made in Arita and shipped from the port of Imari, they are also known as Imari ware. Carried to Europe by the Dutch East India Company — the only trading partner permitted during Japan’s period of national seclusion — the porcelain was called “white gold” and furnished the courts of royalty and nobility.

What Is a Meoto Pair?
A meoto pair is a set of two vessels intended to be used together by two people, most often a couple. In Japan it is a long-standing form of gift for a wedding, an anniversary, or a new home — the pair itself carries the wish.

What Is Tenmoku?
Tenmoku is a family of dark iron glazes that came to Japan from China and has been prized in the tea world for centuries. Yuteki tenmoku — oil-spot tenmoku — takes its name from the crystals that surface during firing and scatter across the black glaze like drops of oil on water. Several such bowls are designated National Treasures of Japan.

Why a Paulownia Box
Paulownia wood is light, resists moisture and insects, and moves with changes in humidity — which is why it has been used in Japan for centuries to store what is valuable. A piece delivered in a paulownia box arrives ready to give, and the box itself is part of the gift.

Contents and Dimensions
Rice bowl × 2, booklet, paulownia box.
Mouth diameter: 11.3cm Height: 5.5cm / Foot diameter: 4.5cm / Capacity: 250ml Weight: 160g
As each piece is handmade, slight variations in size may occur.