Care instructions
About kannyu (crazing)
Because pottery is made of clay, the clay and the glaze shrink at slightly different rates, which creates kannyu — a fine network of lines in the glaze.
When moisture or oil finds its way into these lines, they gradually take on colour and the vessel changes.
In other words, the vessel matures with use and gains depth over time.
A vessel that has aged shows a changed landscape, richer in character, and becomes something you grow attached to.
Enjoy the feeling of raising a vessel that is yours alone, one of a kind in the world.
These vessels are fired hard at high temperature, so they will not leak.
Son's tokkuri, guinomi, flower vases and hachi bowls are water-sealed, so water will not seep in.
The matcha bowl (chawan) is the one exception: if it is left soaking in water when new, moisture may seep in, so it will need to be dried in the sun.
We recommend a medome (rice-water seasoning) before first use.
What is medome?
〜 Before using a matcha bowl for the first time 〜
Put rice-rinsing water in a pot (or plain water with about 3 spoonfuls of rice, or 1 tablespoon of flour or potato starch dissolved in water) and bring it to the boil. The starch works its way into the tiny spaces between the clay particles and into the kannyu of the glaze, filling them and preventing stains and odours.
- Lay a cloth on the bottom of the pot.
- Add the vessel and enough rice-rinsing water to cover it completely (or plain water with about 3 spoonfuls of rice, or 1 tablespoon of flour or potato starch dissolved in water).
- Simmer gently over low heat for about 15–20 minutes.
- Let it cool in the pot, wash well, and dry thoroughly.
With and without medome
Without medome
With medome
Each time you use it
〜 Shino plates and Setoguro plates 〜
Before serving on a Shino plate or a Setoguro plate, pass the plate through warm water if the food is warm.
If the food is cold, pass it through cold water.
Soy sauce and oil are less likely to leave marks, and warm dishes stay warm while cold dishes stay cold and delicious.
With every use, Shino and Setoguro plates take on a softer, more settled surface, and you can enjoy how they change over the years.
Washing
〜 All vessels 〜
Wash with a soft sponge, just as you would ordinary tableware.
Then dry thoroughly. Please do not use a dishwasher.
Microwave
Please do not use in a microwave or an oven.
① Heating a vessel that has held liquid for some time (a yunomi, for example)
If a vessel is microwaved while moisture has soaked into it, the water it has absorbed expands and can in some cases break the vessel. This is very dangerous.
② Trying to heat something piping hot
Prolonged high heat puts strain on the vessel and can cause it to crack.