Mumyoi Ware Yunomi Tea Cup Set — Sado Island Red Clay, Hand-Painted Fish Motif, Set of 4

Mumyoi ware is made from a red clay rich in iron oxide, harvested on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, and is prized for its extreme hardness and tight, dense firing. The clay's fine particles cause it to shrink around 30% during firing — roughly double the shrinkage of ordinary pottery — giving Mumyoi ware its notably hard body and clear, almost metallic ring when tapped. This set of four yunomi tea cups shows the ware's hallmark exposed red-clay foot, left unglazed to reveal the natural iron-rich color, paired with a soft matte grey glaze over the body and interior.

Each cup takes a distinct silhouette — a wide shallow bowl, a rounded bowl, a flared cone, and a taller cylinder — and each is hand-painted inside with a small blue fish beneath the glaze, rendered in loose, calligraphic brushwork. A small maker's seal is impressed into the exposed clay foot of each piece.

Details:

• Origin: Mumyoi ware (無名異焼), Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, Japan

• Form: Set of 4 yunomi tea cups, each a different silhouette

• Clay: Iron-rich red Mumyoi clay, characteristic hardness and density from high firing shrinkage

• Glaze: Matte grey glaze over body and interior; foot left unglazed, showing natural red clay

• Decoration: Hand-painted underglaze blue fish motif inside each cup

• Base: Unglazed red clay foot with impressed maker's seal (kiln/artist unconfirmed — happy to try reading it from a closer photo)

• Condition: Good vintage/secondhand condition — please see photos for any chips, glaze wear, or crazing

• Quantity: Set of 4 (sold together)

• Dimensions: Approx. (Diameter) 4.5–5.5cm x (H) 4–6.5cm, varies by cup