This ippukuwan (いっぷく碗) is hand-painted at Bizan Kiln (美山窯), a small fourth-generation family kiln in Terai-chō, Nomi City, Ishikawa.
Unlike a mug or a yunomi, an ippukuwan is a larger, versatile tea bowl you can use freely — for tea or a small serving bowl.
The design follows Bizan Kiln’s Yoshidaya palette (green/blue-green, yellow, purple, deep blue) and features a camellia, a winter-blooming flower symbolizing beauty, resilience, and quiet strength.
A small but thoughtful detail: each side of the bowl has a gentle thumb indentation, making it naturally comfortable to hold.
Visiting Bizan Kiln
Bizan Kiln (美山窯) began when the family’s great-grandfather Sakujiro became a Kutani painter. Now run by the fourth generation, their philosophy is to bring Kutani into everyday life — keeping the warmth of hand-painting while using technology only where it supports the craft.
Kutani workshops are usually tucked quietly inside residential neighborhoods, separate from the retail shops in Kanazawa and other cities, so visiting a studio directly isn’t very common. I was honestly nervous to knock on their door.
Inside Bizan Kiln, I met the artisans and saw the painting room filled with brushes, pigments, and trays of cups slowly gaining color, layer by layer. The kiln uses modern outlining tools for the initial lines, but all the painting is done entirely by hand, giving each cup a gentle, tactile surface where the pigments naturally build up.
Features
Hand-painted at Bizan Kiln
Yoshidaya-style camellia motif
Comfortable kubomi (thumb indentations) on both sides
Tactile texture from layered pigments
Versatile ippukuwan size — tea or small dishes
About Kutani Ware
Kutani is a Japanese ceramic tradition known for its richly painted designs and collaborative craftsmanship — often shaped in one place and hand-painted in another.
After its revival in the 1800s, Kutani became widely exported to Western markets, shaping the bold decorative styles still loved today.
Contemporary Kutani kilns continue this blend of tradition and innovation, from fully handmade studios to workshops using light outlining tools before painting.
Size
9 cm diameter × 7 cm height
