Hotei Soup Bowl, Natural

This sturdy soup bowl is made from domestic cork wood, turned on a lathe by woodturners in Yamanaka, a lacquerware-producing region.

Not dishwasher or microwave safe.

The cork is characterized by beautiful grain that is close to the straight grain. Unlike traditional vertical cutting, the grain is utilized to enhance strength and crack resistance.

Occasionally, the bowl may become oval due to the characteristics of the horizontal grain, but this does not affect its usability. We appreciate your understanding that this is a characteristic of horizontal grain.

[Characteristics of Yamanaka Wooden Lacquerware]

- Yamanaka is skilled in lathe turning, a technique in which plain wood is rotated and hollowed out using a special blade called a plane. They specialize in the production of round objects such as bowls, individual plates, and tea trays. In particular, 80 to 90 percent of the wood for tea ceremony utensils such as tea caddies is milled in the Yamanaka region. Yamanaka's distinctive lacquerware is characterized by the use of a plane to create a unique design, known as "sujihiki," or "suji" (lined grain). This design is available in approximately 50 variations, including itome, rokuro, biri, hiramizuji, inaho, and tsuka.

Yamanaka lacquerware, blessed with a wide variety of wood materials, uses keyaki (zelkova), cherry, and oak to create a variety of vessels, large and small, through the various processes of priming, lacquering, and maki-e (lacquerware lacquering) depending on the intended use, resulting in beautifully lustrous lacquerware. Naturally, most of the production process is handmade, and the time required from drying the raw wood to completion can take up to a year or more.

SO-352 Naubei Hotei Soup Bowl, Natural Size: Φ11.3 x 7.2 Single bowl, Wood/Tableware Urethane Coating (Thomson Box), Made in Japan, Yamanaka Lacquerware This sturdy soup bowl features a horizontally cut sashimi pattern, finished on a lathe using a Japanese-made nauba. At an exceptionally low retail price of ¥3,240, it's a great value for a Japanese-made product. Not dishwasher or microwave safe. *As natural materials are used, the grain will vary. Additionally, as each piece is handmade, there may be slight variations in shape. The cork is made of wood with beautiful grain that is close to straight grain. Unlike traditional vertical cutting, the grain of the wood is utilized to increase strength and make the finish less likely to crack. Occasionally, the bowl may become oval in shape due to the characteristics of the horizontal wood, but this does not affect its use. We ask for your understanding that this is a characteristic of horizontal wood.