KIMURA HAJIME Ko-Mino Cup

Description

Kimura-san’s small cups are crafted from iron-rich clay sourced from the Mino region and coated with his own custom-made Ko-Mino glaze. Mino is renowned for its yellow Ki-Seto glaze, upon which Ko-Mino is based. The glaze consists of an ash glaze enriched with a small amount of iron oxide. During the long firing process in a gas kiln—alternating between reduction and oxidation atmospheres at temperatures of up to 1200°C—the glaze develops a particularly lively appearance reminiscent of snowflake crystals. The high iron content lends the glaze a distinctive warmth, with subtle yellow and green accents.

In Japan, such low cups are traditionally used for sauces and dips—for example, to serve tsuyu, a diluted soy-based dipping sauce with condiments for zaru soba, cold buckwheat noodles. They are also wonderfully suited as small tea bowls or for desserts such as panna cotta—a beautifully contrasting and unexpected presentation.

Capacity: up to 150 ml

KIMURA HAJIME

Coming from a long pottery tradition and representing the sixth generation of his family, Kimura Hajime has drawn upon this savoir-faire and his passion to create his two signature glazes: Ko-Mino and Ruri-Mino, both inspired by the highly esteemed Ki-Seto glaze. These glazes are distinguished by the depth of their color and their lively, snowflake-like patterns, which lend each piece a fresh and vibrant appearance.