Yunomi/Tea Cup (Sakura Sumi Crackle Glaze)

The Sakura Sumi Yunomi from NANKEI POTTERY (南景製陶園) is a small, palm-fitting tea cup made in the Banko-yaki tradition of Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture. The glaze is a warm cherry-blossom pink (sakura) — and the surface is crossed with kannyu, the fine cracks that form naturally when clay and glaze shrink at different rates during cooling. NANKEI deepens these cracks by hand with India ink (sumi), tracing the glaze's fracture lines in black to create the sumi-kannyu pattern. With use, new cracks emerge and the ink works deeper into the surface — the cup accumulates its own history. Because the glaze has slight water absorption, darker teas will gradually tint the kannyu lines; this is considered part of the character.

At 100ml, it holds the right amount for a single pour of gyokuro or a concentrated sencha — the warm sakura base sets off the gold-green of the tea.