Renowned for its simplicity, Japanese design has been taken to a new level of purity in the form of this tea cup and saucer by Bitowa. Made of Japanese lime wood and hand-turned on a lathe before being sealed with a clear lacquer, the cup is wonderfully tactile (the warmth of the wood; the perfect smoothness of the finish), as light as a feather, and perfectly hand-shaped. Its rim is as fine as you would find on a Baccarat crystal goblet - a testament to the skill of the kijishi - the name for an artisan who specialises in lathe-work.
The white porcelain of the saucer is the whitest, purest white you will ever see - a perfect foil for the honeyed tone of the wood - and its elliptical shape is a joy to the eye. As well as being the most practical shape for holding anything you may eat while you sip. A collective of artisans' workshops based in Aizu, three hours north of Tokyo, Bitowa was set up with the aim of marrying the highest quality of traditional Japanese craftsmanship with sophisticated contemporary design - something that it is succeeding admirably in doing, under the design direction of Kanae Tsukamoto (who, among other things is a visiting professor of ceramics and glass at the Royal College of Art in London).
A dual play on words, Bitowa translates as "What is beauty?", as well as meaning beauty (bi) and (to) Japanese-ness (wa). And isn't that a perfect description for this lovely object? For stockist details contact bitowa@visionporter.com
