Tea cups
Tea Cups
The tea cup is where the entire process of brewing Japanese tea arrives, and the quality of that arrival depends as much on the vessel as it does on the tea inside it. In Japanese tea culture this is accepted without question: a skilled master-potter's yunomi cup, held in both hands while drinking freshly brewed sencha, provides a sensory experience, visual, tactile, thermal, that is part of why the tea tastes the way it does. The cup is not a neutral container. Its form, weight, surface and the way it holds heat are all experienced simultaneously with the flavour of the tea.
Yunomi are the standard everyday Japanese tea cups, tall and cylindrical, without handles, typically around 200 ml. They are made in virtually every ceramic tradition in Japan, from the rustic, heavily textured stoneware of regional kilns to the clean, smooth porcelain of Arita and Hasami. The handle-free form means the warmth of the tea transfers directly to the hands, which is considered an integral part of the pleasure of drinking tea in Japan, particularly in winter.
Chawan matcha bowls are wider and shallower, designed for the whipping action of the chasen bamboo whisk and the particular experience of drinking thick, frothy matcha. The wide bowl allows the froth to develop fully across the surface, and the clay, often chosen for its ability to retain heat, keeps the matcha warm through the brief time it takes to drink. Chawan from established kilns in Mino, Hagi and Bizen each bring different aesthetic qualities and are collected seriously by tea ceremony practitioners.
Small guinomi cups for sake, and the larger mug-style cups for casual everyday use, complete the range here, all chosen for quality of material and making.
Discover more in our subcategories:
Discover Japanese green tea to enjoy in your new cups, or explore Hasami porcelain for matching tableware.
Showing 16 products
AVAILABILITY: In stock (2 items)
Shiroi Tea Cups (set of 4), simple, clean white Japanese ceramic cups with a soft glaze finish. Understated and versatile for Japanese green tea, coffee, and everyday warm drinks. Origin Hasami, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan 🇯🇵 Material Premium High-Fire Porcelain Dimensions...
AVAILABILITY: In stock (498 items)
The Kachou Meoto Tea Cups Set, a matching pair of Japanese yunomi cups in the Kachou flower-and-bird style. Meoto paired cups symbolising a couple's harmony, a classic Japanese wedding or anniversary gift. Origin Hand-Painted in Arita, Japan 🇯🇵 Material High-Quality...
AVAILABILITY: In stock (499 items)
The Soba Choko Coco, small Japanese ceramic cup in the Coco collection, traditionally used for soba dipping sauce (tsuyu) and sake. Its compact, cylindrical form is a Japanese tableware classic. Origin Authentic Made in Japan 🇯🇵 Material Premium Glazed Porcelain...
AVAILABILITY: In stock (499 items)
Kuruga Tea Cups are Japanese ceramic yunomi with a dark Kuruga natural ash glaze, a kiln-fired finish that produces warm, organic colour variations on each cup, making every piece subtly unique. Origin Authentic Made in Japan 🇯🇵 Material Durable Glazed...
AVAILABILITY: In stock (499 items)
Kujira Cups (set of 4), ceramic cups from the coordinated Kujira whale series, sized for Japanese tea, coffee, or cold drinks. Complete your Kujira collection with matching cups. Origin Authentic Handcrafted in Japan 🇯🇵 Material Fine Hand-Painted Porcelain Dimensions Ø8.5...
AVAILABILITY: In stock (10 items)
Crackle Glaze Teacups are Japanese ceramic yunomi with a distinctive crackle (kannyu) glaze that creates a fine network of cracks across the surface, a treasured aesthetic in Japanese wabi-sabi ceramics. Origin Handcrafted in Japan 🇯🇵 Material Glazed Earthenware / Ceramic...
AVAILABILITY: In stock (4 items)
The Hana Rikyu Cup is a Japanese ceramic yunomi with the delicate Hana flower Rikyu wabi-style decoration , a quietly refined cup for everyday Japanese tea that brings understated elegance to any table setting. Origin Hasami, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan 🇯🇵...
AVAILABILITY: In stock (500 items)
Soroi Tea Cups are a matched set of Japanese ceramic yunomi in the Soroi coordinated style, a set where every cup shares the same design, creating a clean, unified tea service for a full table. Origin Gifu Prefecture, Japan (Mino-yaki)...
AVAILABILITY: In stock (499 items)
Seigaiha Cups are Japanese ceramic cups with the Seigaiha overlapping wave scale pattern - an ancient Japanese design symbol of good luck, peace, and prosperity used in textiles and ceramics for over a thousand years. Origin Handcrafted in Japan (Artist...
AVAILABILITY: Out of Stock
Midori Tea Cups are Japanese ceramic yunomi in a fresh Midori green glaze that matches the Midori Tea Set. Perfect for daily Japanese green tea, hojicha, and mugicha in a calming, nature-inspired setting. Origin Authentic Made in Japan 🇯🇵 Material...
AVAILABILITY: In stock (500 items)
Kiku Chawanmushi Cups are Japanese ceramic steamed egg cups with a Kiku chrysanthemum motif, elegantly proportioned for chawanmushi savoury custard and small desserts in a refined Japanese meal service. Product Category Traditional Japanese Multi-Use Steaming & Baking Cups with Lids...
AVAILABILITY: In stock (500 items)
Irodori Tea Cups, a set of Japanese ceramic yunomi cups in multiple coordinated glaze colours. Each cup a different shade, creating a vibrant Irodori rainbow effect on the table. Origin Hasami, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan 🇯🇵 Material High-Quality Glazed Porcelain Dimensions...