Kutani Ware Japanese Porcelain Tenkei-Style Auspicious Colored Enamel Design Sake Set

Exquisite Kutani Porcelain: Where Artistry Meets Mastery

Embark on a journey into the world of Kutani Kiln, where porcelain pottery transcends craftsmanship to become coveted dinnerware cherished by collectors worldwide. Each piece is a testament to Kutani's unique styles:

1. Mokubei Style: Inspired by Chinese Ink Mastery
The Mokubei style channels the elegance of Chinese ink painting techniques, infusing each piece with a serene beauty that captivates the eye.

2. Yoshidaya Style: Vibrant Symphony of Colors
In the Yoshidaya style, hues of purple, green, yellow, and dark blue blend harmoniously, forming intricate patterns that mesmerize and enchant.

3. Eiraku Style: Gilded Opulence
Elevating from Yoshidaya, Eiraku style adorns base colors with layers of shimmering gold over a rich crimson, creating Kutani ware that exudes opulence and allure.

4. Lidaya Style: Narrative in Porcelain
The Lidaya style, or Hachirode, breaks tradition with its focus on human figure paintings, transforming dinnerware into a canvas that tells stories of grace and emotion.

5. Shoza Style: Fusion of Artistic Brilliance
Shoza style harmonizes all four Kutani techniques into a symphony of artistic brilliance, showcasing the kiln's mastery over centuries-old traditions.

Every piece begins as a blank canvas of pure white ceramic, meticulously painted with patterns like komon using zaffre, enriched with cobalt oxide. Each stroke, meticulously applied by skilled artisans, defines the piece's intricate design.

The ceramic masterpiece undergoes a meticulous process, enduring hours in the kiln to achieve perfection. Electrically heated kilns ensure precision, allowing pigments to transform into radiant, translucent hues under intense heat.

From teacups to saucers, each vessel emerges as a three-dimensional painting, a testament to Kutani Kiln's dedication to craftsmanship and artistic excellence. Discover the allure of Kutani porcelain—where tradition meets innovation in every stroke.

Kokutani Style - Old Kutani Style

Echoing the tumultuous era of the Tokugawa Shogunate's early days, Kokutani Style exudes boldness with its vigorous brushwork and rich, masculine hues. Overglaze enamels of deep blues, vibrant yellows, and regal purples form striking compositions depicting florals, foliage, and landscapes. Following Ming Dynasty influences, the Kaga clan, compelled by the Shogunate, temporarily halted kiln operations due to smuggling concerns, pausing production for a century.

Mokubei Style

Resonating with the turbulent early Tokugawa Shogunate period, Mokubei Style showcases robust brushstrokes and strong, masculine tones. Its bold overglaze enamel compositions feature vivid blues, brilliant yellows, and majestic purples, often depicting floral motifs, botanical scenes, and expansive landscapes. Following the adoption of Ming Dynasty techniques, the Kaga clan, under Shogunate orders, dismantled its kilns amidst smuggling accusations, resulting in a century-long hiatus in production.

Yoshidaya Style

Originating from the Kutani-yaki kilns established by Yoshida-ya, a prosperous merchant of the Daishoji clan, Yoshidaya Style flourishes during the Bunka-Bunsei period of the Tokugawa Taihei era. Distinguished by its gentle painting technique, it faithfully inherits the essence of old Kutani aesthetics, featuring delicate depictions of flora and fauna, serene landscapes, and intricate floral patterns in the classic trio of blue, yellow, and purple.

Iidaya Style

Influenced by Chinese scholarly pursuits, Iidaya Style vividly portrays Chinese customs and traditions, such as the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove." Its meticulous artwork, embellished with fine crimson lines, often gilded for added elegance, evokes a refined and cultured ambiance.

Eiraku Style

Drawing inspiration from Eiraku Wazen of Kyoto, Eiraku Style epitomizes opulence. Entire vessels are lavishly adorned with crimson over gold, with intricate patterns meticulously applied in a single stroke. Featuring motifs of flowers, birds, animals, and insects, this style exemplifies a harmonious blend of artistry and luxury.

Syouza Style

Emerging during the Meiji era amidst Japan's embrace of Western influences, Syouza Style embodies a fusion of Japanese tradition and Western aesthetics. The "colored gold brocade" technique captures this cultural crossroads with its intricate depictions of exquisite flowers, birds, figures, and landscapes, integrating post-Kutani innovations that gained popularity post-Meiji restoration.

Aochibu Style

Popularized during the Taisho era, Aochibu Style is distinguished by its meticulous application of fine green "blue grains" atop a base color. Uniform in size and spacing, these grains, often complemented by white and gold accents, impart a sense of tranquility and nobility to each piece.

Morietsuke Style

Introduced around 1924 by Nishi-Taikichi, Morietsuke Style showcases the art of Mori-e painting. This technique, prominently featured on figurines like lions and beckoning cats, achieves a three-dimensional effect through specialized paints, offering a tactile and visually engaging experience.

Saiyuu Style

Saiyuu Style employs a technique where vessels are entirely glazed in a five-color palette—red, green, yellow, purple, and blue—layered to create a gradual and graceful transition of hues. This method enhances the visual depth and elegance of patterns, achieving a captivating aesthetic appeal.

Yuurikinsai Style

Yuurikinsai Style distinguishes itself with the application of gold powder or leaf beneath a transparent glaze, ensuring a soft, lustrous finish. Unlike conventional gilding, where gold is applied over glaze, here, the gold integrates seamlessly within the glaze, imparting a gentle yet radiant glow to the artwork.

Ginsai Style

Ginsai Style utilizes silver leaf beneath a transparent or five-color glaze, preserving its luster without tarnishing. This technique yields a soft-toned, elegantly expressive finish, capturing the essence of refined beauty.

Embracing the Art of Kutani Ware: A Guide to Care and Use

Each piece of Kutani ware is a masterpiece, meticulously handcrafted and painted, deserving of special care to preserve its beauty and functionality over time. Here's how you can ensure each Kutani piece remains as stunning as the day it was created:

Preparation and Usage
Before your first use, it's crucial to prepare each piece to enhance its longevity. Due to the clay's absorbent nature, Kutani ware can retain food aromas without proper treatment. To prevent this, we recommend glazing each piece before use:

Glazing Technique: Easily accomplished at home, immerse Kutani tableware in a pot filled with rice water or a solution of water mixed with flour or potato starch. This process seals the clay's pores, creating a protective layer that prevents odors and food residue from lingering.
Place your Kutani ware in a large pot filled with starch water, ensuring it is completely submerged.
Heat the water gently for approximately 20 minutes, avoiding vigorous boiling.
Allow the pot to cool naturally with the tableware inside.
Clean and dry each piece thoroughly before use.
For optimal dining experiences, consider warming plates with warm water before serving hot dishes and cooling them with cold water for cold meals. This simple step elevates the dining experience while safeguarding your Kutani ware.

Care and Maintenance
While Kutani ware is dishwasher safe, we recommend hand washing with a mild detergent and soft sponge to preserve its intricate designs and vibrant colors. Vigorous scrubbing can diminish its shine and delicate patterns over time.

Ensure each piece is completely dry before storing to prevent any moldy odors. Given its clay composition, thorough drying before neatly storing in cupboards is essential.

Microwave Usage
Most Kutani ware pieces are microwave safe for convenience. However, pieces adorned with delicate gold or silver accents should be excluded from microwave use to avoid damage to their exquisite detailing.

Setting the Table with Kutani Ware
Transform any meal into a celebration of art by adorning your table with Kutani ware. Each piece not only enhances the aesthetic appeal of your dining experience but also adds a touch of tradition and elegance. Whether it's a family dinner or a festive gathering, Kutani ware elevates every occasion, creating cherished memories that endure.

Experience the joy of dining with Kutani ware—where art meets functionality, turning every meal into a celebration of craftsmanship and culture.

We pack your products carefully to ensure a trouble-free delivery of your goods. We regularly ship more than hundreds of packages per month, but only a few cause problems. We guarantee our products to arrive in perfect condition. If the items from your order are damaged during shipping, we are deeply sorry but please get in touch with our customer support with a detailed photo of the damage within 30 days of your delivery. We will exchange or refund as soon as we can confirm. All orders will be shipped from China. Our international shipping is offered through China post, DHL, and FedEx.