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What makes this tea set special
The up close look and feel
The glaze is slightly rough on the outside where the iron spots and speckles sit close to the surface, and the iron brushwork strokes are raised just enough that you can feel their edges lightly under the fingers.
At the very top of each cup, the glaze has pooled and darkened to a deep amber-brown where the iron concentrated during the firing.
The interior is glazed smooth and pale, and the throwing spiral is fully visible there: the centrifugal rings of the wheel left open in the glaze from the base outward, a complete record of the moment the cup was made.
Pour hojicha or sencha into one and the warmth moves through the walls quickly.
Charming details
The technique is called e-Karatsu (絵唐津): iron painting on Karatsu stoneware, one of the oldest decorative traditions in Japanese ceramics.
The pigment used is oni-ita (鬼板), a natural iron-rich mineral ground and applied with a brush to the unfired clay before glazing. It does not sit on top of the glaze but fires into it, which is why the brushwork on these cups has that soft, slightly blurred quality at the edges where the iron moved in the heat.
The bamboo motif is one of the most enduring subjects in e-Karatsu, appearing on cups, bowls and jars going back to the Momoyama period.
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This karatsu-yaki set is made by Maehira Tōgeien Studio
Maehira Tōgeien is a smaller production kiln working in the Karatsu-yaki tradition.
The cups are signed, painted cursive mark on the base of each cup.
Style: e-Karatsu (絵唐津) with iron-oxide bamboo brushwork (oni-ita tetsue technique) on ash glaze.
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Maehira ceramics studio, Saga Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan.
Late Shōwa period, ca. 1970 to 1985.
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Height: ca. 6.5 cm
Diameter: ca. 6 cm
Weight: approx. 536 gr total (approx. 107 gr per cup)
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Very good vintage condition. All five cups appear unused.
Glaze is even and intact across the set.
No chips, cracks or repairs.
Minor variation in glaze and brushwork between cups is characteristic of hand production.
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Karatsu-yaki is a porous stoneware: before first use, fill the cups with tea or rice water and leave to stand for a few hours to season the clay.
After that, hand wash with warm water and a soft cloth; avoid soap, which can seep into the clay and affect the taste of your tea over time.
Dry fully before storing, preferably upside down.
With regular use, the glaze will develop a gentle patina and the throwing spiral on the interior may slowly darken with tea staining.
That change is part of what Karatsu ware is made for.
*Decorative items such as the whisk are for styling
and scale purposes only and not included in the sale
Meet our other tea ceremony items
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