In the intimate setting of the tea room, a space often surrounded by a garden, participants in the traditional tea ceremony temporarily withdraw from the mundane world ... (from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's description of a traditional tea ceremony)

{HISTORY}

Handpainted in the mid-20th century, this set of four Japanese cups was made in the Kutani region of Japan and tells the story of a style of artistry originally made famous in the 1600's. Because of the long, dark winter days, artists in this section of Japan worked with bright colors to liven spirits and depicted beautifully lush and elegant scenes of nature in the pottery and porcelain they produced. Pretty details on these cups include gold rims, red and gold stripes, white dots and gold shading. Colors include watermelon green, purple, orange, evergreen, yellow, grey, white, gold and deep red on a beige background.

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- Matching set of 4 cups

- Handless style

- Stamped with the Kutani mark on the bottom of each cup

{CONDITION}

Gorgeous light crazing marks throughout. No chips or cracks.

{SIZE}

Each cup measures 2.5"inches (height) x 3" inches (diameter)

{STYLE IDEA}

In addition to tea or sake, these pretty cups could also be used to hold small edibles like olives, nuts, dips and sauces.