The Shirotae series has its origins in a cup that was handcrafted on the potter’s wheel by a Kiyomizu-ware artisan starting in 1968. Though the artisan was a master of the painting style of Kyoto Kiyomizu ware, he created this pure white coffee cup and saucer for us without any paintings, covering them with a simple transparent glaze. Years later, when we changed the size of the cup and the design of the saucer, we shifted production to a Nagasaki Hasami-ware pottery, eventually arriving at the current design.
From this simple coffee cup, we developed a lineup that includes a teacup, demitasse cup, sugar pot and pitcher. Hold these pieces and you can feel the lightness and thinness of the porcelain, the subtlety of the handle and the delicacy of the rim. As this series evolved, we always pursued the creation of a design with lasting power. In 2014, nearly 20 years after production began in Kyoto, Shirotae received Japan’s Good Design Award.
