“Guinomi is often called a miniature chawan.
Every part of it, like the kodai (the foot), kuchizukuri (the lip), and koshi (the hips), is difficult to make ”

Robert Yellin, Yakimono.net

Introduction

Chawan

Guinomi

Tokkuri

Bizen

Hagi

Oribe

Shino

More Japanese

American Bowls

Other

Acoma

 

Figure 1: Bizen guinomi by Nakamura Makoto (中村真 )

Figure 2: Kuro-Oribe guinomi by Tomonori Koyama

Figure 3: Ki-Seto guinomi by Hayashi Torao

Figure 4: Ki-Seto guinomi by Kagami Masakane

Figure 5: Ki-Seto guinomi by Mantaro Yoneda

Figure 6: Kohiki guinomi but I do not know the name of the potter, could not read the box and I was not the original buyer

Figure 7: Shigaraki guinomi by Kon Chiharu (今 千春)

Figure 8: Nezumi Shino guinomi by Miyamoto Takeyoshi

Figure 9: Hagi guinomi by Hatano Zenzo (father)

Figure 10: Hagi guinomi by Hatano Hideo (son)

Figure 11: Hagi guinomi by Nagahisa Shosai

Figure 12: Mashiko guinomi by Hamada Tomoo

Figure 13: E-Karatsu by Shintaro Uchimura (内村　慎太郎). This guinomi has orange clay and where the glaze is thinner the orange shows through the glaze and where it is thickest, like in the drops, the glaze is opaque white.

Figure 14: E-Karatsu by Taki Nakazato

Figure 15: E-Karatsu by Nakano Tochitobo

Figure 16: Narumi Oribe by Takiguchi Kiheiji

 

Figure 17: Shino guinomi by 山田和 (Kazu Yamada)

Figure 18: Bizen guinomi by Kimura Bifu

Figure 19: Bizen guinomi by Katsuro Matasaburo.

Figure 20: Bizen guinomi by Masaru Sajiki

Figure 21: Bizen guinomi by Yasahiko Matsukasa.

Figure 22: Oribe style guinomi

Figure 23: I believe this is a Hagi guinomi made by Tamamura Toyo. I think this color is very unusual for Hagi but he is knwn for this color.

Figure 24: Guinomi purchased at Sue-No-Sato in Seto

Figure 25: Celadon guinomi

 

Guinomi are sake cups, actually ‘one gulp’ sake cups. These are bigger than the sake cups in which you are served sake at the Japanese restauraunt and they are made one of a kind by the potter.

Here are some of my favorites. When I drink sake its often a difficult choice to choose which one to use. What makes sake more fun to drink than any other alcohol beveridge is shuki—the things used to drink it, which for the most part are the guinomi and tokkuri (sake bottle).

Not a lot of attention is given to serving quality wines in special glasses. But its not so with sake. Quality guinomi and tokkuri are very highly prized in Japan and greatly enhance the experience of drinking.

Drinking sake from a guinomi is to feel the pottery, the glaze, how the fragrance comes from the shape of the opening to the nose. With the bizen Robert Yellin suggests to rub some sake on the ourside before drinking.

The first is Bizen by Nakamura Makoto. Bizen is one of the old folk kilns of Japan. Makoto and his father (Rokuro Nakamura) are famous for their shuki (sake pottery).

The second is a Kuro-Oribe (black Oribe). Notice that the shape is distinctly oblong, not round, which is very common in Kuro-Oribe style guinomi and chawan.

The third is a Ki-Seto (Yellow Seto) by Hayashi Torao born in 1926. I am not sure whether he is still alive or not. He works in the city of Toki in the prefefure of Gifu, and his specialty is Ki-seto ware (yellow seto) which he learned pottery from his father.

The fourth is Ki-Seto by Kagami Masakane. whose father, Kagami Shugai is famous for his glaze ( he passed away lately) which youcan see in the tokkuri secton. Seto is a very old city famous for pottery and famous for this yellow glaze. So famous that pottery is often referred to as Seto-yaki. The city Seto is associated with Ki-Seto, Black Seto, Shino and Oribe styles. Mino is just over the mountain and Seto is next to nothern Nagoya, an area famous for the pottery of the Kato family.

Every year in September in Seto there is a big street fair for potters who bring out their work for sale on the sidelwalk. The river runs through the center of the town and the small stalls of pottery displays run along the river, probably at least a mile long.

Fifth is another Ki-Seto purchased from the Kuradatoen web site. I visited the store in Shibuya last March (2008). I recommend visiting the store if you get the chance and there is a link to the online Kuroda store on the introduction page. There was an exhibit of bizen guinomi at the time and I purchased the one in figure 16. I also met Kuroda-san who has authorie

Sixth is a Kohiki style which I purchased in the Mashiko store in Japan Center in San Francisco. I don't know who made it and the box had been stained to make it look older than it was. It smelled of stain but Istill liked the guinomoi. Kohiki is an old style originating with the Korean influence in Japan. Its basically a white slip over an iron-rich clay and translucent glaze is applied.

Seventh is a Shigaraki guinomi by Kon Chiharu which has a pleasant contrast between hi-iro (fire color) and haikaburi (covered ash). When I use this one it feels like (to me) I am a primitive man sitting in a cave and I just reach down, grab some wet clay, form a cup and drink.

Eight is Nezumi Shino by Miyamoto (I forgot surname). This one was in my wife’s family treasures in the kura.

Nine, ten and eleven are Hagi guinomi. Nine was made by Nagahisa Shosai, ten by Hatano Hideo, whose father is a famous Hagi potter, and eleven by his father, Hatano Zenzo.

Twelve is a modern Mashiko by Hamada Tomoo, grandson of Hamada Shoji. I like that it expresses the Mashiiko tradition but feels contemporary in its decoration,

Thirteen through fifteen are e-Karatsu by Shintaro Uchimura, Taki Nakazato and Nakano Tochitobo. The latter two come from families with a long tradition for Karatsu (I do not know much about the first yet).The “e“ simply means painting, referring to the brush stroke.

Sixteen is a very traditional Oribe by Takiguchi Kiheiji. Yoiu can see him actually throw pots with a tradiltional hand powered wheel on youtube (click here for lnk).

Seventeen, through twently are Bizen style. Twenty one is another Oribe which I purchased at a department store.

Twentys two is a Hagi style byTamamura Toyo and twenty three I bought at Sue No Sato in Seto. Guinomi can be quite expensive but this one cost about $10. However even though iwas not expensive its very nice in shape, color and feel.