The Amber Thimble — Shino Wood-Fired Chawan

The Amber Thimble — Small in Form, Infinite in Detail

The smallest cup in this collection, and perhaps the most surprising. What it lacks in stature, it more than compensates in complexity — every surface, inside and out, is a world unto itself. Hold it in one hand and it disappears; look into it and you find an interior paved in white river stones, a miniature landscape fired into permanence.

Glaze & Surface: The exterior is a rich amber-brown and iron-rust ground, covered across its upper two-thirds in a dense honeycomb and tortoiseshell crackle pattern — the glaze having contracted during firing into a network of irregular cells, like dried earth seen from above, or the scales of ancient leather. Scattered across this warm ground are small eruptions of white and grey-violet mineral — quiet, precise, and varied. The rim flows outward slightly and unevenly, edged with a band of grey-white glaze that pools and drips naturally at the lip — the kiln's own finishing touch.

Approximately one-third of the exterior surface is intentionally unglazed — raw, dark stoneware exposed where the kiln's flame drew the glaze away during firing. This half-glazed character is one of the most prized qualities in wood-fired ceramics: a direct and unrepeatable record of fire, ash, and chance. Where the glaze ends and the bare clay begins, the boundary is ragged and alive — a coastline, not a border.

The interior is the revelation: a complete covering of dense, small white crawled glaze — smooth, rounded pebble-like fragments packed tightly across the inner surface, each one distinct, the whole forming a mosaic of distinctive intimacy. Looking into this cup is like looking into a tide pool.

Form & Feel:

• Exceptionally low, flat chawan form — almost square in profile when viewed from the side
• Subtly angular walls — hand-pinched, with slight corner definition that gives the cup its quiet asymmetry
• 120g weight — feather-light, almost surprising given its visual density
• Irregular, outward-curving rim — natural and unforced
• Small unglazed foot — compact and stable

For the Art of Tea: This cup is made for a single, considered sip. Its small volume concentrates flavour and temperature, making it ideal for the first pour of a gongfu session — the one that matters most. It is also, simply, a beautiful object to hold. Place it in your palm and feel how little it weighs; look into it and feel how much it contains.

One of a kind. Wood-fired in a single kiln firing. Never to be repeated.

Care

Suitable for contact with tea. Hand wash gently and avoid abrasive cleaners. Variations and firing marks are part of this one-of-a-kind handmade piece.