A colorful Dutch copy of a sake cup by Dohachi Takahashi

Width: 5.9cm Height: 4.12cm

A neat cylindrical cup that fits in the palm of your hand

The body is slightly narrower than the diameter, and the proportions are neatly shaped like a trumpet towards the base. The soft impression of the soft cream-colored clay and the stability of the high base combine to make it easy to grip and turn with one hand. The rim is slightly curved outwards, allowing the sake to flow smoothly to the center of the tongue.

Vivid glazes that stand out against the milky white glaze

The feldspar-based milky white glaze that covers the entire piece has a soft, semi-glossy texture. After a cobalt outline is applied, red, yellow, and green overglaze pigments are baked on top, achieving both vivid color and a glossy glaze surface. The subtle bleeding of the cobalt outline gives the piece a warm feel that can only be achieved through hand-painting.

Arabesque floral design from a Dutch copy

The arabesque pattern around the body is typical of "Holland copying," which has its origins in the designs of 17th-century Dutch Delftware and Persian pottery. The eight-petal flower in the center contrasts crimson and yellow, while the four-petal flowers and buds scattered around it create rhythm. The slight fluctuation in the vine lines creates a light and playful feel of hand-drawn art.

Underglaze cobalt outline and overglaze firing

After bisque firing, the outline is drawn with cobalt pigment, and then a milky white glaze is applied and the piece is fired. This is a two-stage process, followed by a second firing at a low temperature to set the red, yellow, and green mineral-based overglaze paints. Takahashi Michihachi inherits the family tradition of overglaze painting, meticulously managing the balance of color development and the thickness of the paint, achieving an exquisite balance between bleeding and clarity.

History - "Dutch Style" and Kyo-yaki

In the late Edo period, Dutch ceramics were introduced to Japan through Dejima in Nagasaki, greatly inspiring artisans of Imari and Kyoto ware. While capturing exotic tastes, these "Holland copies" were beloved at tea and drinking ceremonies as designs reconstructed with a Japanese simplicity. Takahashi Dohachi IX has reinterpreted this internationalism and playfulness in a modern form, elevating it into light and airy tableware that is perfect for everyday evening drinks.

The Takahashi Dohachi family has been known as a prestigious Kyoto ware colored ware family since the late Edo period. The ninth generation master graduated from Kyoto Bunkyo Junior College, majoring in fashion design, and then went on to study molding and research at the Kyoto Prefectural Ceramic Technical College, and further solidified his technical foundation at the Kyoto Industrial Research Institute.

In 1996, he began to study pottery under his father, Dohachi Yashiro, and began making pottery in earnest.

In 2012, he took on the name of the 9th Takahashi Dohachi

His style, which combines the sense of form cultivated through clothing design with the traditional techniques of Kyoto ware, breathes new life into the Dohachika style and displays a refinement that stands out in modern tea ceremony and gallery spaces.

This sake cup, where the serenity of the milky white glaze and the brilliance of the colored painting resonate with each other, is a masterpiece that beautifully brings out the transparency of cold sake and the amber color of hot sake. When you hold it, the contrast between the slight unevenness of the painting and the smoothness of the milky white glaze feels pleasant on your fingertips, and the exotic atmosphere of the Dutch painting will decorate your table every time you look at it or drink from it. We hope you will enjoy this sake for many years to come and savor the exquisite colored painting techniques and the pleasure of "mitate" (appearance).