CHIPS Inc. was founded in 2016 by Noboru Sakuma in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture — not inside a historic kiln district, but in a design studio with a clear purpose: to make tableware people reach for without thinking. Rather than claiming generations of potter lineage, CHIPS partners with specialist factories in Mino (美濃), Gifu Prefecture, one of Japan's largest and oldest ceramic regions with over 1,300 years of pottery heritage. Mino-yaki (美濃焼) is a METI-recognised traditional craft, and each CHIPS piece is produced within that ecosystem — shaped and glazed by hands that understand the clay intimately. The result is a young brand standing on centuries of regional skill.

What sets CHIPS apart is an obsessive attention to the small things that make a mug feel right. Handles are wider than usual — triangular in cross-section — so they balance in your grip without strain. Rims are tested for thickness until the lip feels natural. Glazes are hand-wiped rather than dipped, producing the splashed, two-tone finishes that make each piece slightly different from the next. It is Mino craftsmanship expressed through a contemporary lens: not ornamental, but honest and quietly pleasing.

At iromizu, you will find CHIPS mugs and drippers designed for the kind of mornings that deserve a little more attention — a generous cup warming your hands, coffee dripping slowly through ceramic, and nothing to rush for. Browse the collection below and find the piece that fits your ritual.