Tea Cup Saucer (Sumi Black Wood)

A small square of wood, ink-black and still — just the right thing under a cup of tea.

This tea cup saucer is handcrafted by NANKEI POTTERY (南景製陶園) in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, cut and finished in natural wood. The Sumi Black version is dyed with India ink (sumi) and finished with oil, giving the wood a deep, cool tone that complements both the Cone Small Yunomi and the Hakodai bowl. It is light, easy to handle, and carries the quiet quality of something both simple and carefully made.

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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.