Porcelain Tea Cup

Porcelain cup · Hotaru-te · Hiroshi Taruta · Seto

Hiroshi Taruta works from his studio in Seto City, Aichi Prefecture — a city long celebrated for its pottery tradition, Seto-yaki. His work centers on Hotaru-te: a technique originating in Ming dynasty China (1368–1644) in which an openwork base is filled with transparent glaze and fired, creating a raised pattern through which light passes. Hotaru means "firefly" in Japanese; te means "hand."

The technique is unforgiving. Cutting and incising porcelain reduces its structural strength — the risk of cracking is high, and every stage of the process demands full attention. While most Hotaru-te works use small round openings, Taruta works with linear slits instead. This approach is considerably more difficult, but the light that emerges through them — filtering like light through cloud — is unlike anything produced by the conventional form.

The choice to pursue linear Hotaru-te came from a desire to do what others do not. A turning point came in 2015, when Taruta spent ten months in Europe — visiting a ceramics school in southern Germany and the atelier of a Swedish ceramic artist. His work, considered "European-ish" in Japan, was received in Europe as distinctly Japanese. The experience clarified his direction: to pursue Hotaru-te as an expression that could only come from him.

Fill the cup with sake or tea and the light shimmers alongside the liquid. Each piece is handmade and varies slightly in form.

meet the artisans

Hiroshi Taruta

Read the brand story →

Specifications

Diameter approx. 3.2 in × H approx. 2.4 in (80 × 60 mm)
Material: Porcelain