Posted 4 years ago
kwqd
(1193 items)
These yunomi are about 2.75" high x 2.5" diameter, "Made in Japan" stickers on the bottom of each cup. Made of brown/red clay. Based on the sticker, my guess is that these were made for both domestic sale and export. They are hand made and hand glazed/painted, each one a little bit different in size, shape and glaze. I chose the single cup pictured as it has the most variation in glaze and probably stood a chance of being discarded because of that but survived. Amazing to think that it probably took a potter a minute to make one and a painter a minute to decorate one and two unknown workers probably cranked out dozens of these in an hour and hundreds in a day. The definition of mingei ware. I found this set for $1.98 so couldn't pass it by. These may, at one time, have been associated with a teapot. Based on the fact that the label has survived on every cup, I don't think that these were used. Not calling these a mystery as they are meant to be anonymous in origin.
Thank you Kevin, blunderbuss2, fortapache, jscott0363, aura, RichmondLori and dav2no1!
Thank you Vynil33rpm!
The great thing is mingei is still important today in Japan. I know you do too Kevin; I really appreciate that their culture still is based on the concept of usable, hand made items.
Thanks for your comment, Karen! Learning about the concept of mingei was an eye opener for me. The story behind the movement is very interesting and compelling. When I've mentioned mingei to Japanese craftsmen they become very passionate about it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mingei
Thanks for loving my little set of yunomi Jenni and Karen!
Thank you Thomas!
Thanks Eileen! I agree!