Yamanaka Ware Sibo Wooden Bowl

At a glance

• Lacquer mixed with tofu creates a finely pebbled surface with a leather-like feel.
• The textured exterior gives your fingers more purchase around the rounded bowl.
• Muted colour contrasts with warm wood grain, pairing easily with everyday ceramics and glass.

Sibo’s softly coloured surface has a texture you might not expect from a wooden bowl. Fine, pebbled lacquer gives the exterior a leather-like feel, contrasting with the smooth finish and visible grain inside.

Shirasagi Mokkou turns each bowl from Japanese cherry wood in Yamanaka, Ishikawa. The exterior uses shibo-urushi, a traditional technique that mixes lacquer with tofu to create its distinctive texture. The result is practical as well as tactile, giving your fingers more purchase when you hold the bowl.

Both Beige and Green have a clear urethane finish inside to reveal the wood’s individual grain. Their rounded shape suits a small serving of soup, rice or breakfast yoghurt, while the muted colours sit comfortably alongside the tableware you already use. It is the contrast between the two surfaces that makes this bowl particularly enjoyable to pick up.

Consider the Shirasagi bundle set for a full collection.