Small Koro Yunomi Cup by Ryumonji Pottery

These small ‘koro’ yunomi cups were made by the Ryumonji Pottery Collective in Aira, in Kagoshima.

‘Koro’ refers to a type of small yunomi (cups for hot drinks) popular in the Edo period.  The form is inspired by those used on the eating barges on the Yodogawa river in Osaka, (the ‘kurawanka-bune’), with a large foot for extra stability.

Shiro Kawahara, the long term head of the Ryumonji Pottery Collective, studied ceramics for a period in the Osaka region, and adapted the form to the Ryumonji tradition, and established it as a signature piece within their output.

The cups are ideal for hot sake, hot tea, or cold variants of the same drinks.  

Ryumonji ceramics are known too for their trailing glaze patterns.  In this case onto caramel (ame), as blue onto black or in the sansai mix of brown and irredescence onto white.

Each piece is handmade and varies.  The wood fired kiln in which they fired adds to the individuality.

As such, the works are likely to differ in their details from those pictured here.

Size: Diameter 7cm x Height 5.5cm
Weight: 110g Capacity: 100ml

About the Ryumonji Pottery Cooperative

Sourcing the ingredients for their ceramics in their immediate area, and firing them in a wood fired hillside kiln, Ryumonji-ware is connected to Kagoshima's land, and to the history of its ceramics.

With history dating to the early Edo era, Ryumonji-ware is one of the lineages in so called "black" Kagoshima ceramics. In contrast to the "white" clay work that was characterised by its finery, and provided to the rulers of the domain, the ceramics made at the Ryumonji kilns were for use in everyday life. They developed a rustic beauty, and a quality that began to be truly appreciated in the 20th century.  In spite of this, the establishment of the cooperative in 1947 did much to preserve the tradition.

Ryumonji-ware is known for the excellent quality of white base decoration clay, and for pattern work such as green and caramel brown trailing, or blues onto blacks. The potters make Kagoshima classics such as the "choka" vessels used for serving the local shochu spirit, and use distinct firing techniques and locally found materials to achieve their shark skin effect glaze. As such the work in Ryumonji-ware is a tradition alive and evolving.