Three Japanese ceramics including a bowl, a tokkuri, and a sake cup on a beige background. Tsukushi

Usurai Pottery

Q: Is this Japanese Pottery microwave or dishwasher safe?

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Q: Can I use this Japanese Pottery every day?

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Q: What is medome, and do I need to do it?

{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Medome is a "},{"type":"text","value":"traditional sealing treatment","bold":true},{"type":"text","value":" used to help Japanese pottery surfaces with ceramic crazing (kannyū 貫入). \n\nWhile not strictly required, it can reduce the risk of stains or odors soaking into the glaze, especially for those who plan to use their piece frequently.\n\nTo perform medome, place the piece in a pot with water and a small handful of rice.\nHeat until just before boiling, then simmer gently for about 10 minutes.\nTurn off the heat and allow it to cool naturally.\nFinally, rinse, lightly scrub with a sponge, and dry thoroughly. The piece is now sealed and ready to use."}]}]}

Q: Is Usurai Pottery a good gift idea?

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Q: What makes Usurai Pottery so special?

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Q: How do I choose the right piece of Japanese Pottery?

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Q: Can I mix Japanese Pottery with my regular Western tableware?

{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Absolutely. \nMixing styles is not only welcome but often the most beautiful choice. \nAn Usurai glazed ceramic bowl paired with modern flatware or simple linens adds depth and warmth. \nA reflective ceramic mug contrasts softly with glass or steel. \nEven a single piece of Japanese pottery can transform the table, creating a calm, personal, and curated atmosphere.\n\n"}]}]}

Q: Can I use Usurai Pottery for more than just eating?

{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Absolutely. \nUsurai Pottery is made to enrich your home, not just your table. \nBowls can hold dried flowers or incense, handless mugs become brush holders, saucers frame tealights or jewelry, and the slender sake bottle works beautifully as a small vase. \nRooted in wabi-sabi, each piece brings quiet, adaptable beauty to any corner of daily life.\n"}]}]}

The Crackle Glaze Collection: artisan ceramics featuring the traditional Kannyu technique.

Handcrafted Japanese ceramic coffee cup set with kannyū crackle glaze in emerald green and deep obsidian, by Taichi Kawai, Usurai Pottery Kyoto

Seika | Ceramic Coffee Cup Set

€198,00

Sold out

Two Japanese handcrafted crazing ceramic Teacups beige background, Tsukushi

Suiei | Teacup Set

€105,00

Handcrafted crazing Japanese ceramic Donburi bowls beige background, Tsukushi

Suirei | Japanese Bowl Set

€105,00

last one

Japanese handcrafted crazing ceramic Tea mug beige background from side, Tsukushi

Seiha | Tea mug

€82,00

Sold out

Japanese handcrafted crazing ceramic Sake set beige gradation background , Tsukushi

Seigen | Sake set

€155,00

Sold out

Aonami | Waved Serving Bowl

€105,00

Sold out

Japanese Emerald green ramen bowl bowl on a dark background. Hero view

Suiri | Ramen Bowl

€105,00

More about Usurai Pottery

The Crackle Glaze Collection

The Crackle Glaze is a collection of handmade Japanese ceramics defined by luminous colour, balanced forms, and richly textured surfaces.
Created in small batches in Kyoto by artist Taichi Kawai of Usurai Pottery, the collection includes teacups, coffee cups, mugs, bowls, serving vessels, and sake ware designed for regular use rather than display alone.

Across these different forms, Taichi Kawai maintains a consistent visual language: clean silhouettes, comfortable proportions, and glazes that reveal greater depth as light moves across them. Turquoise, jade, blue, green, and darker tones gather unevenly over the clay, creating subtle differences from one piece to another.

These variations are part of the character of handmade pottery and make every vessel individually recognisable. Usurai ceramics can be used in Japanese or Western table settings, bringing a quiet focal point to tea, coffee, sake, noodles, rice dishes, and shared meals.

The collection combines contemporary Japanese design with the irregular beauty of individually crafted ceramics.

Light, Colour, and Form

The Crackle Glaze Collection

The collection combines contemporary Japanese design with the irregular beauty of individually crafted ceramics.

Made to Be Used

Japanese Ceramics for Everyday Rituals

Usurai pottery is made to become part of everyday rituals.
A tea mug is shaped to feel comfortable in the hands, a bowl is proportioned for serving and eating, and a sake vessel brings a sense of occasion without becoming overly formal.

The appeal of each piece develops through use: light catches the glaze differently during the day, food and drink alter the way its colours appear, and the handmade surface invites closer attention. Although visually distinctive, these ceramics are not intended to remain untouched on a shelf.

Taichi Kawai creates functional tableware for morning coffee, Japanese tea, ramen, donburi, desserts, or an evening sake service. The forms are restrained enough to combine with existing tableware, while their reflective surfaces give each setting greater depth.

Choosing an Usurai piece means choosing Japanese pottery that balances visual presence with practical use, allowing craftsmanship to be experienced through ordinary meals and repeated daily contact.

The Artisan Behind Usurai Pottery

Taichi Kawai

Taichi Kawai is a Kyoto-born Japanese ceramic artist and the founder of Usurai Pottery (Tōbō Usurai).
He studied ceramics at the Kyoto Institute of Traditional Crafts before continuing his training in Shigaraki, one of Japan’s historic pottery centres. Kawai later exhibited his work in Japan and established his independent studio in Kyoto.

Working alone and producing in limited batches, he creates functional cups, mugs, bowls, and sake ware.
His guiding idea is simple: pottery should serve daily life while still creating a moment of attention. Form, colour, texture, and light are therefore treated as parts of the experience of using a handmade object.

Aonami waved serving bowl, close-up of outer rim showing kannyu craquelé texture in deep teal and jade. Usurai Pottery, Japan.

A Signature Glaze

Taichi Kawai’s signature glaze is Hyōretsu Kannyū Yū (氷裂貫入釉), an ice-fracture crackle glaze inspired by thin frozen water.
Its pattern forms during cooling, when the glaze and ceramic body contract at different rates and create fine lines within the surface.
This phenomenon is called kannyū (貫入) in Japanese, crackle glaze in English, and craquelé in French. In Kawai’s work, the lines are intentional rather than structural cracks.

Variations in crackle density, glaze flow, colour, mineral traces, and small bubbles emerge during firing, making every piece distinct.
Light reflects through these layers, creating the depth and changing appearance associated with Usurai Pottery.

Map of Japan highlighting Kyoto with a black outline on a white background. Tsukushi

From Kyoto, Shaped by Tradition

Usurai Pottery is based in Kyoto, Japan, where Taichi Kawai works independently from Tōbō Usurai. Kyoto’s ceramic culture developed around tea, dining, and carefully made objects for everyday life, providing a natural setting for Kawai’s restrained functional forms.

The city is also close to Shiga Prefecture and the historic pottery centre of Shigaraki, an important influence on his understanding of clay. From his Kyoto studio, Kawai produces cups, bowls, mugs, and sake vessels alone and in small batches, preserving the individual character of his work.

Y. Onnis of Tsukushi and T. Kawai of Usurai, at a Usurai exhibition in Kyoto.

A note from Tsukushi

How we work with Usurai Pottery

Kawai-san works alone, in small batches, with a technique that cannot be accelerated.
The kannyū glaze fractures as it cools, each piece on its own time, in its own way. We chose to work with him because we respect that process completely.

There are no intermediaries between his studio and your table. Every piece in this collection was selected in person, with full respect for the way he works, and for the time each piece requires.

"A small artisan working alone produces pieces of extraordinary quality but in limited quantities. We do not see this as a constraint. We see it as a strength."
— Tsukushi

Japanese handcrafted crazing ceramicbowl black background, Tsukushi

A Quiet Presence at the Table

From a shared sake set to a quiet moment with a tea mug, Usurai’s soft glazes and pottery crazing bring light, texture, and calm to the table.

Aonami waved serving bowl, close-up of unglazed clay foot with artist seal stamp. Taichi Kawai, Usurai Pottery, Japan.

Japanese handcrafted crazing ceramic Teacup beige background inside, Tsukushi

Handcrafted crazing Japanese ceramic coffee cup beige background zoom, Tsukushi

Handcrafted crazing Japanese ceramic Donburi bowl beige background reflection from side Tsukushi

Japanese handcrafted crazing ceramic Sake bottle and bowl zoom beige background. Tsukushi

Great quality , perfect shipment. Custom sourced for our needs

We asked the Tsukushi team for a custom sourcing service for a knife, and they helped us find exactly what we wanted.The knife arrived really quickly and was perfectly protected for the travel from Japan to Italy. The quality is great, and the details are insane. Really recommended!

Dear Matilde,
Thank you for your kind review!
We are thrilled to hear that you are satisfied with the quality and shipment of your knife. We are happy to have been able to custom source it to meet your needs. Your satisfaction is our top priority.
Thank you for recommending us!

Have a great day.
The Tsukushi team

Great custom source service!

Imballaggio perfetto oltre alle aspettative, servizio eccezionale, prodotto top fuori categoria

Dear Giovanni,

Thanks for your review! It was a pleasure to assist you with sourcing your knife. Regarding the packaging, yes, we go the extra mile to ensure our clients receive their products in the best condition possible.
Wish you a great day.

The Tsukushi Team

Delightful Experience *

TSUKUSHI

Delightful experience with clear perspective with ordering products online. Website is clean and accurate. Quality of packaging was fabulous. Shipping was direct with communication of delivery on time.

Thank you.

Respectfully,
Nicole D. Apperley

Dear Ms. D. Apperley,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with Tsukushi.
We are glad to hear that our website was user-friendly and that you were satisfied with the quality of packaging and timely delivery.
Your kind words mean a lot to us.

We appreciate your support and hope to continue providing you with authentic Japanese crafts and services in the future.
Thank you again for choosing our shop.

Sincerely,
The Tsukushi team

Very pretty cups and very well crafted

Just love the pattern, colour and shape. Very well crafted!

Dear Gabriele,
thank you so much for leaving your lovely review!
We're happy to hear that you love the pattern, color, and shape of our cups. We take great pride in selecting each and every one of our products with care.
Thanks again for your support!

The Tsukushi team

Consiglio

Consiglio

Dear Ms. Blanchaert,
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review for our store. We are glad to read that you had a smooth experience with us. Thank you for the recommendation.
We wish you a great day, the Tsukushi team.

Customer service was exemplary!

Customer service was on another level and exemplary! Great company to support as they are thorough and friendly.

Dear Nadia!
Thank you for your kind words! We strive to provide exemplary customer service and we are glad to hear that it was on another level for you. Your support means a lot to us. Have a great day!

the Tsukushi team

Good service and fast shipping!

Respons time is fast just like the shipping to Europe and the service is also great 😃

Thank you for your kind words Don!
We're glad to hear that you had a great experience with our service and shipping to Europe.
We strive to provide fast response times and a premium service for all of our customers.

Best Regards
Tsukushi

Great shop for distinctive gifts

A great online shop to purchase interesting and thoughtful Japanese inspired gifts.

I will purchase from them again

Dear Luke,
Thank you so much for your kind words!
We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed shopping at our online store for unique Japanese-inspired gifts.
We can't wait to have you as our valued customer again.
Have a lovely day!

Best regards
Tsukushi

Great experience

Great experience, easy to use and quick acknowledgement and delivery.

Dear Narelle

Thank you! We’re happy to see your review.
Being a small family company, this kind of feedback means a lot to us!

Great articraft

I loved every single piece, and especially my hunt was super excited with the collection. Know what to buy for next Christmas, and the packaging is super too.

Thanks Alessio, we hope your aunt will find something she likes.
Don't hesitate to contact us if any support is needed!

Beautiful Shigaraki ware and excellent service!

My experience with Tsukushi is very positive with quality over quantity service!

They also have fair prices prices imo so it's a good choice choosing them as a Shigaraki ware dealer.

Really listening to and thinking with you in wishes and solutions and keep their word so you as a customer can count on them.

Dear D.,
Thank you for your kind review. We are very happy to read your words of appreciation. Being able to go beyond the standard online catalog offer and help you find the product you were searching for by sourcing it locally was a true pleasure. It is always wonderful to meet people like you, passionate and willing to explore new cultures and crafts.

Impeccabile

Prodotti artigianali di ottima fattura. Una particolare cura all'estetica oltre che alla funzionalità, che non guasta. Il prodotto è giunto in Italia senza problemi e in tempi ragionevoli considerata la distanza. Consigliato a chi ama investire in prodotti di buona qualità.

Dear Matteo

Thank you for taking the time to leave such a positive review for our website and product!
We are thrilled to hear that you appreciate the quality and attention to detail in our artisanal products. We take great pride in ensuring both aesthetics and functionality in our products.

We are also glad to know that your order was delivered to Italy without any issues and in a reasonable amount of time. Your recommendation to invest in quality products means a lot to us.

Thank you again for your support and for choosing our product. We hope to continue exceeding your expectations in the future.

Best regards,
The TSUKUSHI team.

Great website!

Love their japanese tableware, refined and authentic. Impeccable customer service.

Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to leave a review!
We are very happy to hear that you are enjoying our selection of Japanese tableware. Our team works hard to provide authentic and refined products, and we are glad to know that you appreciate it.
We are also happy to hear that our customer service was able to meet your expectations. We truly value your support and look forward to serving you again in the future.

Learn more about Usurai's crafts

Japanese Pottery FAQs

Is this Japanese Pottery microwave or dishwasher safe?

Yes, Usurai Pottery is microwave and dishwasher safe.
Just place each piece carefully so it doesn’t touch other dishes, since the edges can be delicate.
The natural ceramic crazing also benefits from gentle handling.
After washing, dry well with a soft cloth.
With simple care, your piece will age beautifully and stay part of your daily routine.

Can I use this Japanese Pottery every day?

Yes.
Usurai pieces are made for daily use, from a shared sake set to morning coffee or a simple meal in a pottery bowl.
Just avoid soaking them for long periods.
Because of the natural pottery crazing, moisture or odors may settle into the fine lines. If you prefer extra protection, perform medome before first use to help seal the surface.

What is medome, and do I need to do it?

Medome is a traditional sealing treatment used to help Japanese pottery surfaces with ceramic crazing (kannyū 貫入).

While not strictly required, it can reduce the risk of stains or odors soaking into the glaze, especially for those who plan to use their piece frequently.

To perform medome, place the piece in a pot with water and a small handful of rice.
Heat until just before boiling, then simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow it to cool naturally.
Finally, rinse, lightly scrub with a sponge, and dry thoroughly. The piece is now sealed and ready to use.

Is Usurai Pottery a good gift idea?

Without a doubt.
Usurai Pottery makes a meaningful gift for any occasion, blending refined design with quiet character.
A sake set adds ceremony to shared moments, a ceramic coffee mug brings beauty to daily rituals, and small bowls offer subtle elegance.
With natural crazing and handmade variation, each piece is truly one of a kind.

What makes Usurai Pottery so special?

Usurai Pottery blends tradition with contemporary design, crafted in small batches by Kyoto potter Taichi Kawai.

Inspired by Shigaraki yet refined in form, each piece features natural kannyū glaze lines that express wabi-sabi and quiet depth.
From coffee cups to sake vessels, every item is shaped slowly, making no two pieces ever alike.

How do I choose the right piece of Japanese Pottery?

A pottery bowl adds warmth to dishes like ramen, udon, or a simple donburi.
A small ceramic berry bowl suits fruit, matcha jelly, or light desserts.
For tea or coffee, Usurai’s ceramic cups feel balanced and soft to the touch.
Each piece is handmade in small batches with subtle ceramic crazing, giving every item a unique, quiet presence.

Can I mix Japanese Pottery with my regular Western tableware?

Absolutely.
Mixing styles is not only welcome but often the most beautiful choice.
An Usurai glazed ceramic bowl paired with modern flatware or simple linens adds depth and warmth.
A reflective ceramic mug contrasts softly with glass or steel.
Even a single piece of Japanese pottery can transform the table, creating a calm, personal, and curated atmosphere.

Can I use Usurai Pottery for more than just eating?

Absolutely.
Usurai Pottery is made to enrich your home, not just your table.
Bowls can hold dried flowers or incense, handless mugs become brush holders, saucers frame tealights or jewelry, and the slender sake bottle works beautifully as a small vase.
Rooted in wabi-sabi, each piece brings quiet, adaptable beauty to any corner of daily life.

Usurai Pottery

More about Usurai Pottery

The Crackle Glaze Collection

Japanese Ceramics for Everyday Rituals

The Crackle Glaze Collection

Japanese Ceramics for Everyday Rituals

The Artisan Behind Usurai Pottery

Taichi Kawai

A Signature Glaze

A Quiet Presence at the Table

Learn more about Usurai's crafts

Japanese Pottery FAQs

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