Front view of a Ryumonji Yaki sansai glaze sake set, showing a rounded tokkuri with amber, teal, and dark iron glaze breaking across the shoulder, alongside 2 small guinomi with the same three-color glaze dripping from the rim.

Ryumonji Yaki Pottery Sake Set Sansai Glaze

RYUMONJI-YAKI POTTERY

Ryumonji Yaki Pottery Sake Set Sansai Glaze

Name: Ryumonji Yaki Pottery Sake Set Sansai Glaze
Brand: RYUMONJI-YAKI POTTERY
SKU: rmj010010102
Price: 269.00 USD
Availability: InStock

$269.00

Ryumonji has produced Black Satsuma ware in the mountains of Kagoshima since 1688, collecting clay and all glaze materials from the surrounding hills and processing them within the workshop — a practice that remains rare among kilns still working today. The sansai glaze is one of the kiln's signature finishes, and on a rounded form it behaves differently than on a flat plate. The three colors — amber, teal, and dark iron — are applied and then left to the kiln. On the tokkuri (sake carafe), they break across the shoulder in a wide, uneven band that shifts as the vessel is turned in hand. On the 2 guinomi (small sake cup), the same glazes pool and drip from the rim downward, each cup firing to a slightly different result. That variation is structural, not incidental: it is the direct consequence of where each piece sits inside the ascending kiln and how the heat moves through it. The set is sold as a tokkuri and 2 guinomi, each piece made from the same locally sourced clay, carrying the same glaze, and resolved as a set without being uniform.

Details

Carafe Size: Approx. D 3.9in x H 4.7in / D 10.0cm x H 12.0cm
Cup Size: Approx. D 2.4in x H 1.6in / D 6.0cm x H 4.0cm
Capacity: Approx. 270ml / 9.1oz

Please note that as handcrafted pieces, slight variations in size may occur. Colors and patterns may vary from piece to piece depending on the temperature and location of the kiln during production.

Care & Use

Due to the nature of the clay, this vessel cannot be placed directly over a flame or submerged in boiling water
For warm sake, heat the sake separately before transferring it into the vessel for serving
Hand wash only with mild soap and lukewarm water; avoid metal scrubs or abrasive detergents
Do not place in a microwave or conventional oven
Avoid sudden temperature changes, as these can cause cracking
Allow to dry fully before storing to prevent moisture retention within the clay body
Store in a safe, stable location away from edges to avoid accidental damage
Handle with care; ceramic is fragile and susceptible to chipping or cracking if dropped

Check our tips for Care Information.

Ryumonji Yaki Pottery Sake Set Sansai Glaze

$269.00

Meet the Artisan

RYUMONJI-YAKI POTTERY

Ryumonji ware was established in 1688 when Yamamoto Wan'emon, grandson of the Korean-born potter Hochin, discovered suitable raw materials in Kajiki, in what is now Aira City, Kagoshima Prefecture, and built a kiln there. The settlement that grew around it came to be known as the Chawan-ya hamlet, a community organized around the making and passing down of ceramic knowledge. Over more than 300 years, the kiln produced everyday vessels for ordinary life and gave rise to a succession of accomplished craftsmen, among them Kawahara Yoshiku. In 1948, the potters reorganized the existing shared-kiln structure into a formal cooperative, the foundation of today's Ryumonji Ware Pottery Union. The Union manages the full process from raw material gathering through to sales, a model rare in Japan and central to how the tradition has survived intact. Potters still go into the mountains within 3 kilometers of the kiln to collect the clays, stones, shirasu, rice-hull ash, and hearth ash that compose the glazes. Everything is refined on site. The kiln is currently led by Kawahara Shiro, a certified Contemporary Master Craftsperson, alongside his son Ryohei and fellow Union members. Work is fired in an ascending kiln at up to 1,250 degrees Celsius, the same method used throughout the Edo period and essential to developing the textured surfaces that define Ryumonji ware.