Small is indeed beautiful when it comes to the Mino-Yaki Bean Bowl. Made in Gifu Prefecture by a company that began as a traditional sake-cup maker in the 1940s, each of these petite bowls is a perfectly formed example of Japanese Mino porcelain.
There are four designs, with this Clover Pink version as the softest in form, its rounded edges evoking a lucky four-leaf clover, matched with the muted pink of the wild plant’s blooms.
Bean bowl, or mamebachi, is the cute name given to tiny bowls of traditional Japanese tableware. Part of the art of Japanese food plating, these dishes are traditionally used to serve pickles, a few pieces of colourful vegetables, sauces or condiments. Today, they are also often used as decorative items — a little bowl to display a piece of jewellery or keepsake.
To see all four Bean Bowls, each geometric but in gentle colours, visit our Mino-Yaki collection.
Mino-yaki, believed to be the oldest form of artistic pottery produced in Japan, dates back to the Nara Period 710-794. Produced in the old Mino Province, in present-day Gifu Prefecture, it became popular for traditional tea ceremony vessels. Today, the styles of Mino-yaki are as varied as they are beautiful — from the warm rustic glazes of hand-thrown traditional Kiso Seto, Black Seto, Shino and Oribe ware to the soft pastels of modern tableware.
Porcelain
Please note, these are hand-glazed, so items may differ slightly from the image.
Width 8.3cm x Depth 8.3cm x Height 3.8cm
Microwave and dishwasher safe
Made in Japan
