Yunomi/Tea Cup (Sakura Crackle Glaze)

The Sakura Crackle 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 soft cherry-blossom pink that gives the cup a gentle warmth on the table. The surface carries kannyu — fine cracks that form naturally where the clay and glaze shrink at different rates during cooling. These cracks are not flaws; they deepen the character of the cup, and more appear with use. Because the glaze has some water absorption, darker liquids can gradually tint the kannyu lines. This is a cup that keeps changing.

At 100ml, it holds a single pour of gyokuro or concentrated sencha. The footed base gives it a slight formality — right for guests, or a careful moment alone.