Teacup
Reading ゆのみAlso written 湯呑茶碗 · 湯飲み · 湯飲茶碗 · 湯呑
A Japanese cup for drinking tea, usually without a handle. Tall cylindrical and lower rounded forms occur in different ceramic bodies and glazes.
On this page
- 1Body
- 2Base
Form#
- Body
- 1A tall cylindrical or lower rounded drinking cup; ceramic body, glaze and wall thickness vary between examples.
- Spout
- none
- Handle
- none
- Lid
- usually none; formal office or guest versions sometimes carry a saucer (茶托) and matching lid (蓋付湯呑)
- Knob
- none
- Base
- 2A foot ring supporting the cup; its size and profile vary.
13 Numbers mark the parts described under Form.
Compare an object photograph · National Museum of Asian Art · FSC-P-2207
In use#
Choose the cup for a comfortable fill level and the amount to be served. Material, wall thickness and handling affect how warm the cup feels; shape alone does not guarantee insulation.
Working volume#
The Japanese ministry’s brewing manual gives use-specific equipment examples, not a universal size for this category. Choose and measure a vessel for the tea, serving quantity and intended fill level.
農林水産省Variants and sub-types#
| Name | 日本語 | Difference | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naga-yunomi (Tall Cylindrical Teacup) | 長湯呑 / 筒湯呑 | A tall cylindrical or lower rounded drinking cup; ceramic body, glaze and wall thickness vary between examples. | 123 |
| Maru-yunomi / Kumidashi (Open Bowl Teacup) | 丸湯呑 / 汲出（汲み出し） | Wider, shallower hemispherical bowl in thin porcelain or fine stoneware; kumidashi are formal guest cups presented on wooden or lacquer saucers (茶托 chataku) to display the bright green liquor of fine sencha. | 123 |
| Meoto-yunomi (Married-couple Pair) | 夫婦湯呑 | Matched pair comprising one slightly taller cup and one slightly smaller cup of identical clay and glaze, a standard Japanese household and wedding-gift format since the Shōwa era. | 13 |
| Senchawan / Gyokuro-wan (Miniature Tasting Cup) | 煎茶碗 / 玉露碗 | Tiny, thin-walled porcelain cup used in formal senchadō and high-grade gyokuro service. | 2 |
History#
- mid-to-late Edo (18th–19th c.)As steeped leaf tea (煎茶) and everyday roasted/coarse tea (番茶) spread among townspeople, potters at Seto, Mino, Karatsu, Hagi, and Mashiko produce tall cylindrical stoneware and porcelain drinking cups distinct from the wider matcha chawan.1
- Meiji (1902)The earliest literary citation in the Nihon Kokugo Daijiten for the compound 湯呑茶碗 appears in Tayama Katai's 1902 prose, distinguishing everyday hot-water and tea cups from formal ceremonial bowls.1
- Shōwa–presentPaired "husband-and-wife" sets (夫婦湯呑, with the slightly taller cup for the husband and slightly smaller cup for the wife) become a standard household and wedding gift form across Japanese kilns.13
Attributions are shown as the source states them.
Sources#
Status and editorial notes sources cited
Sources are listed below. Their presence does not certify every claim; source-specific interpretations and unresolved questions are identified in the text. This page has not received independent expert approval.
2026-11-05: revised after the homepage evidence audit. Historical attributions, model dimensions and practical guidance are distinguished; unresolved claims remain qualified. Earlier editorial conclusions are superseded by the current text.