{"title":"Featured","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"wu-zetian-tang-taizong-porcelain-sake-cups-pair","title":"Wu Zetian \u0026 Tang Taizong Porcelain Sake Cups (Pair)","description":"\u003cp\u003eA pair of small hand-painted porcelain sake cups, each with a portrait inside: one shows an empress in a flowered headdress and yellow robe, the other an emperor in a golden cap and red robe, each with a short Chinese inscription naming the figure. The rims are gilded, the inner walls have red-and-gold hexagon panels and chrysanthemum sprays, and each base has a ring of red petals. Small enough to rest on your fingertips, they work for sake, a little tea, or simply on a shelf.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe pairing has a story behind it. Wu Zetian entered Emperor Taizong's court as a young concubine. After he died she married his son, Emperor Gaozong, became the real power behind the throne, and in 690 declared herself emperor. She is the only woman in Chinese history to rule in her own name.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68135295058133,"sku":null,"price":2400.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/6006\/3189\/files\/vh-dscf3315.jpg?v=1794127639"},{"product_id":"fujiya-peko-chan-footed-mugs-pair","title":"Fujiya Peko-chan Footed Mugs (Pair)","description":"\u003cp\u003eTwo white footed mugs with Fujiya's Peko-chan, licking her cheek as always. One shows her riding a snow scoot down a snowy slope, captioned \"走れ!!スノースクート\" (\"Go, Snow Scoot!!\"). The other has her in red overalls by a waterfall, captioned \"小さな滝に憩う\" (\"Resting by a little waterfall\"). They're small and sturdy, with a rounded handle and a plain white back, a fun bit of Japanese character nostalgia for your morning cocoa.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePeko-chan first appeared in 1950 as a papier-mâché doll outside a Fujiya sweet shop. Her name comes from \"beko\", an affectionate word for a calf, and in 1958 a public contest decided her age: she is six years old, forever. The snow scoot on the mug is a newer arrival than she is. It was invented around 1990 by Franck Petoud, a French BMX rider, and only began selling in Japan in the mid-1990s.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68135295156437,"sku":null,"price":1450.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/6006\/3189\/files\/vh-dscf3146.jpg?v=1794127645"},{"product_id":"japanese-sushi-bar-yunomi-teacup-with-kappa-characters","title":"Japanese Sushi Bar Yunomi Teacup with Kappa Characters","description":"\u003cp\u003eA tall white porcelain yunomi (Japanese teacup) wrapped in a whimsical illustration of a sushi bar. Green kappa, the water sprites of Japanese folklore, work behind the counter and clink glasses with customers, alongside a maiko with flowers in her hair and a little girl with red ribbons. Above them hangs a row of menu tags in hand-written Japanese listing sushi favourites such as いくら (salmon roe), たい (sea bream), えび (prawn), あなご (conger eel), たこ (octopus) and いか (squid), along with rolls like かっぱ巻 (cucumber roll). A small red artist's seal sits by the counter. It is the classic tall shape that sushi restaurants use to keep green tea hot.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe kappa are no accident on a sushi cup. Kappa are said to love cucumbers more than anything, which is why the cucumber sushi roll is called kappamaki in Japan. In Edo-period illustrated books, kappa went from frightening river creatures to comical characters, and they've been favourite cartoon mascots in Japanese advertising and design ever since.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68135885471957,"sku":null,"price":2250.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/6006\/3189\/files\/vh-dscf3122.jpg?v=1794135570"},{"product_id":"pair-of-chinese-longevity-tea-cups-wan-shou-wu-jiang-yellow","title":"Pair of Chinese Longevity Tea Cups (Wan Shou Wu Jiang), Yellow","description":"\u003cp\u003eA pair of small porcelain tea cups decorated in the classic Chinese longevity pattern. Each cup has a sunny yellow band painted with purple lotus-style blossoms and curling scrollwork, and a rainbow Greek-key border runs around the rim. Four white roundels carry the red characters 萬 壽 無 疆 (wàn shòu wú jiāng). The insides and the rounded feet are clean white porcelain. They're just the right size for Chinese or green tea, sake, or a little dipping sauce, and the two cups nest neatly together. The enamels are bright, with no chips. Sold as a pair.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e萬壽無疆 means \"boundless longevity\", or more poetically, \"may you have ten thousand years of life without end\". The phrase comes from the ancient \u003cem\u003eBook of Songs\u003c\/em\u003e, where it was a toast raised in the royal court. Until the end of imperial China it was reserved for the birthdays of emperors and empresses, and yellow-ground bowls bearing these four characters were made for imperial celebrations. Today the pattern is a much-loved everyday classic in Chinese homes and restaurants around the world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68135915618517,"sku":null,"price":1450.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/6006\/3189\/files\/vh-dscf3106.jpg?v=1794135782"},{"product_id":"tateyama-kurobe-alpine-route-souvenir-yunomi-with-ropeway-scene","title":"Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route Souvenir Yunomi with Ropeway Scene","description":"\u003cp\u003eA tall, straight-sided yunomi (Japanese teacup) in a soft cream glaze, wrapped in a bright cobalt-blue print of snowy, jagged peaks. A circular window shows a ropeway cabin gliding over the valley. On the other side, the red-and-blue ACE JTB logo sits above the vertical text 立山・黒部アルペンルートの旅 (\"A journey on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route\"). A small orange potter's stamp is on the base. It's a lovely size for green tea, and also makes a charming pen or brush pot. It's a fun find for anyone who loves Japanese travel souvenirs. The print is crisp and the glaze is in good condition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route crosses the Northern Japanese Alps between Toyama and Nagano. It fully opened on 1 June 1971, after nearly 20 years of construction. The cabin pictured is most likely the Tateyama Ropeway. It spans 1.7 km without a single support tower in between, making it Japan's longest one-span ropeway, and it was built that way to protect the mountain scenery. By neat coincidence, JTB launched its ACE package tours in January 1971, the very same year the route opened.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68135936917717,"sku":null,"price":650.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/6006\/3189\/files\/vh-dscf3059.jpg?v=1794135985"},{"product_id":"japanese-red-akae-sake-cup-with-green-crab-shrimp-and-fish","title":"Japanese Red Akae Sake Cup with Green Crab, Shrimp and Fish","description":"\u003cp\u003eA small, elegantly flared porcelain cup on a short foot, glazed all over the outside in rich coral-red. It's painted in emerald green with a crab, a long-whiskered shrimp, a little fish and fan-shaped sea plants, all outlined in fine black lines. Thin black bands run around the rim and base, and the foot has a blue line and a tan edge. Inside it is clean white porcelain with a double blue ring at the rim. The base carries a hand-painted blue signature. It is most likely Japanese akae (red overglaze) ware, and it's a lovely size for sake, a shot of tea or a tiny posy. The enamels are bright and the cup is in good condition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAkae means \"red painting\". It is the Japanese art of decorating porcelain with overglaze enamels led by red, fired again at a lower temperature after the main glaze. The first red overglaze painting in Japan is said to have been done in Arita, in Saga Prefecture, during the Shōhō era (1644–1648). The style later flourished in Kutani, where artisans became famous for incredibly fine red brushwork. Sea creatures like crabs and shrimp are a favourite playful motif on cups made for sake.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68135936950485,"sku":null,"price":1450.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/6006\/3189\/files\/vh-dscf3045.jpg?v=1794135988"},{"product_id":"japanese-restaurant-yunomi-with-utamaro-beauty-print","title":"Japanese Restaurant Yunomi with Utamaro Beauty Print","description":"\u003cp\u003eA tall, straight-sided yunomi (Japanese teacup) in a soft cream glaze, printed with a classic ukiyo-e portrait of an Edo-period beauty. She has an elaborate black chignon pinned with long golden kanzashi hairpins, wears a peach-and-coral patterned kimono, and holds a book with a red title slip. The picture is signed 歌麿筆 (\"painted by Utamaro\"), so it is a reproduction of a work by the woodblock master Kitagawa Utamaro. On the other side, bold black text reads 割烹 仕出し 魚六 (\"Kappō · Catering · Uoroku\"), with a crest and a telephone number. That tells us it was made as a gift or house cup for a Japanese restaurant called Uoroku. It's a lovely size for green tea. The print is bright and clean.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUtamaro (c. 1753–1806) is the artist most associated with pictures of beautiful women. He made his name with bijin ōkubi-e, \"large-head\" close-up portraits that showed women's faces and expressions in a new, intimate way. On the restaurant side, \u003cem\u003ekappō\u003c\/em\u003e combines characters meaning \"to cut\" and \"to cook\", and it describes a style of Japanese dining where the chef prepares dishes in front of you. \u003cem\u003eShidashi\u003c\/em\u003e means meals delivered to homes and events, so Uoroku did both.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68135939965141,"sku":null,"price":2750.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/6006\/3189\/files\/vh-dscf3017.jpg?v=1794136050"},{"product_id":"japanese-lidded-yunomi-with-maple-leaves-on-flowing-water-tatsutagawa","title":"Japanese Lidded Yunomi with Maple Leaves on Flowing Water (Tatsutagawa)","description":"\u003cp\u003eA small lidded yunomi (Japanese teacup) in a warm cream glaze, with a snug-fitting domed lid. Both cup and lid are painted with swirling indigo water currents, scattered dots and drifting maple leaves in fresh green and autumn brown, plus tiny outlined cherry-blossom petals in red. It's a lovely size for green tea, and the lid keeps the tea hot and holds in its fragrance while it steeps. It also makes a charming little lidded pot for sugar, rings or trinkets. The glaze is in good condition, and the lid fits well.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaple leaves floating on flowing water is a classic Japanese design known as \u003cem\u003eTatsutagawa\u003c\/em\u003e, after the Tatsuta River in Nara, famous for its autumn colours. It goes back to a celebrated poem by Ariwara no Narihira (825–880), included in the \u003cem\u003eHyakunin Isshu\u003c\/em\u003e poetry anthology. In it, he marvels that even in the age of the gods no one had heard of the river being tie-dyed crimson by fallen leaves.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68135954776277,"sku":null,"price":950.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/6006\/3189\/files\/vh-dscf2954.jpg?v=1794136244"}],"url":"https:\/\/smallthings.in\/collections\/featured.oembed","provider":"Small Things","version":"1.0","type":"link"}