GIYAMAN Mino Ware Porcelain Plate, 20.5cm

At a glance

• Glass-like transparency and lacquer-like depth shift across the chrysanthemum relief as the glaze pools
• The GIYAMAN collection was sold at Dior Paris and later chosen for a Dom Pérignon Champagne dinner at Versailles
• 20.5cm porcelain plate for everyday meals and desserts; dishwasher safe and microwave safe for reheating

GIYAMAN takes its name from an old Japanese word for glassware. The reference is visible in the plate itself: glaze gathers at different depths across the chrysanthemum relief, creating glass-like transparency alongside the deeper lustre associated with lacquerware.

Kaneko Kohyo spent around two and a half years developing the glaze. The chrysanthemum form begins with a mould carved to millimetre precision, so its ridges and recesses control where the glaze flows and gathers during firing. The result is colour that changes in depth across the surface rather than reading as one flat, uniform finish.

That distinctive appearance also gave GIYAMAN an unusual life outside Japan. The collection began selling at Christian Dior's Paris flagship in 2010, where chef Jean-François Piège discovered it. He later selected GIYAMAN for the dessert course at a 2012 Dom Pérignon dinner at the Palace of Versailles, ordering 160 pieces for the event.

At 20.5cm, it works comfortably for a plated lunch, fish, salads, sandwiches, cake or dessert. Despite its glass-like appearance, it is everyday porcelain: dishwasher safe and microwave safe for reheating.