Cone Yunomi/Tea Cup (Matte Black)

A cone of dark stoneware — the weight is centred low, the feel direct.

The Cone Yunomi from NANKEI POTTERY (南景製陶園) is a 170ml everyday tea cup shaped on a clean conical form. Made in the Banko-yaki tradition of Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, it pairs with the full Sencha Kyusu series. The exterior is unglazed Matte Black stoneware — iron-rich, non-absorbent clay that carries no flavour between teas, fired to a dry, even charcoal that deepens quietly with use. The interior is glazed with a soft grey-white finish so you can watch your tea as you pour.

Matte Black is fired from high-iron clay that does not absorb water — every session starts clean, every session ends with the clay a little richer. At 170ml it holds a generous yunomi pour; the conical form stacks for neat storage.

Shipping

• Japan: ¥800 flat rate — free shipping on orders over ¥15,000.
• Asia: from ¥2,500 — free on orders over ¥25,000.
• EU, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada: from ¥3,500 — free on orders over ¥35,000.

※Shipping rates for apparel and other goods vary by product and destination (shown at checkout). Please see our shipping policy for full details.

South of Nagoya, along the shore of Ise Bay, Yokkaichi in Mie Prefecture has been a centre for Banko-yaki since the eighteenth century. The city's iron-rich clay and long firing tradition gave rise to a distinct stoneware character — dense, unglazed surfaces that age quietly with use. 南景製陶園 (Nankei Pottery) has worked within this tradition for decades, using a proprietary clay formula that has remained unchanged for more than fifty years. High-temperature yakishime firing drives off virtually all porosity, leaving a body that is hard, smooth to the touch, and subtly warm in colour.

The forms Nankei designs are spare and considered — nothing added that does not serve the tea. A kyusu pours cleanly; a yunomi sits without fuss in the hand. That restraint comes not from minimal effort but from sustained attention to proportion and weight. If you want to learn more about the people behind the work, our Behind the Sip article on Nankei Pottery goes further: Nankei Pottery — Banko-yaki in Yokkaichi.