One “Sansai” caught my eye.

A potter always comes to Tokyo once a year in order to display what he has made.

One day, he was selling various kinds of sake cups.

They were really beautiful and they took my breath away.

Among them, one sake cup caught my eye.

I felt that the sake cup would improve the taste of sake, so I bought it.

I’d like to introduce it.

A green and brown glaze is painted on the pale yellow sake cup.

This design is called, “Sansai”.

Sansai means “Three colors” in Japanese.

Sansai has a long history, and it originated during the Tang Dynasty of China (618 – 907).

It was in the Nara period (710 – 714) when Sansai was introduced in Japan from China.

It is called, “Nara Sansai”.

A national treasure named, “Nara Sansai Kotsubo” is one of them.

To tell the truth, I don’t think that Nara Sansai is beautiful because its color is too vivid. In other words, it wears heavy makeup.

On the other hand, this sake cup, which I bought, has three translucent colors: green, brown, and pale yellow. 

Its hue makes me imagine the sunshine filtering through foliage.

It is like a beautiful scene in Japan.

By the way, this sake cup has a unique shape.

Of course, it’s not a failure as the shape is intentional. It is called, “Kutsugata”.

The unique shape indicates the potter’s playful spirit.

In addition, the shape fits in my hand.

For your information, Kutsugata is more commonly seen in Japanese tea bowls such as “Oribe”.

I really like this sake cup, but unexpectedly, I found it has a fault.

When I drink sake with this sake cup, I tend to drink too much because it improves the sake’s taste.

It is an ironic fault of the wonderful sake cup.