24K Gold Kintsugi Arita Sake Cup | Arc Above the Vine

Arita Blue on Thin White Arita produced Japan’s first porcelain in the early 1600s, and its sometsuke—cobalt painted beneath a clear glaze—has defined the ware ever since. This slender cup comes from a long-established Arita kiln working in that blue-and-white tradition. Its porcelain is thrown thin enough to transmit light, while hand-brushed cobalt vines of round leaves and small blossom sprays climb the lower wall. Shaped by Arita’s Legacy: This piece also comes from Arita ware, Japan’s first porcelain tradition. Prized for its luminous white body and refined hand-painted details, embodying the harmony of precision and quiet beauty. Learn more → Discover the Art and Craftsmanship of Arita Ware Porcelain One Arc Above Part of the upper wall had broken away. Seisaku Nakajima, a certified Master of Traditional Crafts (METI, 2005), restored the cup over four months. He rejoined the fragment with natural urushi, building a smooth foundation through cured and polished layers. On that finished ground, he applied urushi with a maki-e brush, sprinkled 24K gold powder, and finished the seam through roiro polishing, the highest grade of urushi finishing, giving the gold a smooth, deep luster. The cup remains food-safe. The seam leaves the rim, sweeps across the white wall above the vine, then rises to meet the rim again. Above the Vine Two living Japanese traditions meet here: Arita’s sometsuke porcelain and the urushi craft of authentic kintsugi. Because the break crossed only the upper wall, the restoration forms a single arc suspended above the blue vine, closing the opening at the rim in a line no other cup could repeat; tipped to drink, it appears again inside. To welcome it into your collection is to become the next custodian of both Arita porcelain and urushi artistry.