Japanese Teacups

A yunomi has no handle. The heat comes straight through to your fingers, and the thickness of the wall decides what temperature you can hold. Cupped in both hands, or pinched at the rim with one — it is one of the few things on a table that decides for you how it will be held.

Some are fired bare, with no glaze at all. Some keep the red lines straw left on them. Some have ridges cut down the side one at a time. Some were wrapped in seaweed to draw colour out of the fire. Some are drawn on in blue. Straight-sided ones, and ones that open towards the rim. They are sized for tea, which means beer or water also sits in them about right.

Measured, the cups currently here run 6.5–10.5cm across and 6.6–12.3cm tall. If you are looking for one that fits your hand, around 8cm across is the place to start. Choosing one is covered in choosing a yunomi, and firing without glaze in what yakishime is.