Kutani Ware Cat Shaped Chopstick Rest

At a glance

- Kutani yaki (九谷焼) porcelain, Harekutani, Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture; overglaze colour tradition begun with Ko Kutani, the earliest Kutani style, in the early Edo period (1603 to 1868)
- Whole chopstick rest shaped like a cat in profile, the smallest size in the cat range; green drapes a solid patch over the shoulders, blue scatters small dots like a light dusting, yellow bands the tail in stripes echoing a ginger tabby
- Approx. 7.1 x 3.7cm

This is the smallest piece in Harekutani's cat shaped range, and each colour gives it a different personality. In green, a solid patch of teal drapes across the shoulders and back like a small blanket. In blue, small dots are scattered across the body like a light dusting, the most playful of the three. In yellow, the colour lives entirely in the tail, banded in stripes not unlike the real markings of a ginger tabby, while the rest stays in plain white porcelain. All three pair naturally with the main and small plates for a matching table setting, and tend to turn into a small collection once one arrives.

Harekutani took shape in 2017 under Kitano Toujudou, a Kutani wholesaler in Nomi City, Ishikawa, trading since 1972, working within Kutani yaki, a porcelain tradition over 360 years old.

Used as intended, it rests chopsticks between courses, though it works just as well as a teaspoon rest, a resting place for a used teabag, or a tiny trinket dish for a ring by the sink. Presented in a branded gift box.