Two vintage Japanese meoto pottery teacups, probably Mashiko buying

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I, and my brothers and sister, were born and raised in Japan during the 1950s and 1960s; our parents were missionaries. During that time we and our mother collected many unique Japanese antiques. My mother, who recently passed away at the age of 98, continued to collect antiques in Japan until my parents' retirement in 1989.

My mother was a serious antique collector who was given access by her Japanese friends to places that a “foreigner” usually would never be allowed to see, such as the attics of old farmhouses. She was always on the lookout for rare and one-of-a-kind pieces, and this set of two meoto cups was one of them. Mashiko is a site of major historical importance for Japanese ceramics. Modern Mashikoyaki dates to 1853, when a potter discovered that the local red-brown clay there was ideal for ceramics. The Ashinuma stone, when crushed to a powder and applied to pots, formed a well fitting, durable and attractive glaze. Its color (deep reddish brown) was reminiscent of the seeds of persimmon fruit, so it became known as “Kaki” (persimmon) glaze. Mashiko clay was not suited for other styles of natural glazing; it needs to be thrown fairly thick and doesn't vitrify well, tending to remain porous, so the unctuous and non-crazing “Kaki” glaze became the trademark of Mashikoyaki. The style was popularized in 1930, when Shoji Hamada, later designated as a Living National Treasure, set up a kiln in Mashiko. Hamada's student, Tatsuzo Shimaoka, was also designated as a Living National Treasure and worked in Mashiko from 1953 until his death in 2007. Shimaoka is known for his use of stripes, often supplementing the kaki glaze, in his work.

The trademark “Kaki” glaze is featured at the bottom of these two cups. The pattern of stripes that it is paired with suggests strongly that Shimaoka made these. The cups are in perfect condition.

Large: 3” w x 3.25” h
Small: 2.25” w x 3” h