The routine I have been following for the past few years is having Sayu (plain boiled water) heated to a comfortable temperature. I acquired this Yunomi tea cup specially for the routine. It is a creation by Kenichi Nakajima, who was trained at Masao Moriyama, an apprentice to the master potter Kanjiro Kawai. I was attracted by the character of the cup, which is quiet yet not rough, and fits comfortably within my hands.

The characteristic of the Japanese Yunomi cup is its simple shape, which can be described as ‘the origin of the cup’. It therefore should be used by almost wrapping it directly in both hands. On the other hand, the Western tea cup, which values functionality, has a handle that we can hold to use it.

Accepting the heat of the contents and inviting it to your hands, or avoiding the heat from the hands…

Indeed, since a cup is a tool as well as a container, it is natural that functionality should be considered. If we think of this point, it feels that it is not wrong – and even natural – to serve Sayu or Japanese tea in a Western cup.
But Japanese people didn’t abandon the design of Yunomi cup, which seems to be rather inconvenient. Why was that?

Let’s go back to the beginning, and think about the reason a little from a literary viewpoint.

For instance, in a freezing winter morning, Sayu poured into a Yunomi cup warms up the just awakened body from inside.
Also, the Yunomi cup, into which Sayu is poured, functions to warm up the freezing hands over the skin.

The lesson that we can perhaps learn from these factors is that ‘through being mediated by the Yunomi cup, we can sense the warmth of the drink both inside and outside of the body’. Some may say that ‘this is obvious’, but to understand the Japanese culture in depth, I think it is important to have a sensibility that tries to see the outside world through multifaceted eyes.

It is a tool, container, and an existence to accompany people’s daily lives as a ‘friend’ who shares emotion —.
Through being held in hands and used daily, the design of the Yunomi cup may well have awakened Japanese sensations and became a standard feature on a dining table beyond logic. And I think that this Yunomi cup by Mr Nakajima continues this tradition.

Hirotaka Haruyama
KOHARUAN