Japanese Ko-suimono-wan, Set Lacquer Soup Bowls with Lids, Yamanaka, 1970s

Atmospheric set of five small Japanese lacquer bowls with lids – ko-suimono-wan – produced in the Yamanaka Onsen area of Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture, a region renowned for its Yamanaka-nuri lacquerware.

Dimensions per bowl: height 9 cm, diameter 9 cm.

The bowls are turned from wood using the traditional tatekidori technique, in which the wood is shaped in the direction of its natural growth. This makes Yamanaka lacquerware especially durable and resistant to warping. The deep black lacquer is built up in multiple layers, with fine decorative grooves (sen-suji / ara-suji) running horizontally around the bowls and lids. Slim reddish-brown lines follow the contour and give the set an elegant, graphic presence on the table.

Lacquered wooden bowls like these retain heat very well: the soup stays warm longer while the exterior never becomes uncomfortably hot to hold. The set is therefore still perfectly usable today for clear soups, small starters or rice, and is equally decorative as refined serving bowls on a festive table.

The bowls date from the 1970s and are in mint condition, with a beautifully glossy lacquer surface.

Complete with the original box and Yamanaka lacquerware leaflet.