Kutani Ware Akae Plate

At a glance

- Kutani yaki (九谷焼) porcelain, Harekutani, Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture; akae, red and gold overglaze, one of Kutani's five traditional colour styles begun with Ko Kutani, the earliest Kutani style, in the early Edo period (1603 to 1868); part of Harekutani's 2026 akae collection
- Available in three motifs: cat, a familiar good luck symbol in Japan; rabbit, tied to the moon rabbit of Japanese folklore; or flower, a dense, all over pattern in Kutani's historic export style
- Approx. 16cm diameter; presented in a branded gift box; dishwasher and microwave safe

Three motifs share the same 16cm plate and the same akae red and gold enamel, Kutani's traditional colour style, though each tells a different story. A cat curls into a neat ring, its face left plain in black and white while the sweep of its body and tail carries the pattern, as if it were its fur. Two rabbits meet nose to nose, ringed by red flowers, a scatter of fine dots, and a single butterfly, closer to a folk tale illustration than a formal piece of tableware. And a red star medallion opens into large flowers and trailing vines that fill the whole surface without ever feeling crowded, in the dense, all over style that first made Japanese porcelain famous across Europe from the 17th century onward.

In Japan, a cat by the door is a familiar sign of good fortune, and rabbits are said to live on the moon, spending their nights pounding rice cakes beneath it, one of the country's most enduring pieces of seasonal imagery. The flower needs no story beyond its own density; Kutani and its neighbouring kilns built their early reputation on precisely this kind of richly patterned porcelain.

Kutani yaki itself traces back to Ko Kutani, the earliest Kutani style, in the early Edo period (1603 to 1868), when ceramic stone was discovered in what is now southern Ishikawa. Harekutani only started in 2017, a newer name from Kitano Toujudou, a Kutani wholesaler that has traded out of Nomi City, Ishikawa, since 1972. The name plays on hare, the Japanese word for a bright, special day, which is exactly the feeling the label sets out to bring into everyday use. All three plates belong to Harekutani's newest akae collection, released in 2026.

At 16cm, each one earns its place at afternoon tea, under a scone, a slice of Victoria sponge, or a slice of cake, though a small salad or a few pieces of fruit sit on it just as easily. Presented in a branded gift box.