A refined porcelain tea set by Mukai Naoko, enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Chaki (Tea Utensils). The softly rounded kyūsu teapot and accompanying cups are composed with quiet restraint, their gently swelling forms resolving into smooth, continuous curves that sit comfortably in the hand. The teapot’s low, horizontal body is paired with a delicately tapered spout and an elegantly arcing handle whose organic curve echoes the rounded geometry of the vessel itself, while the cups repeat the same compact, swelling profile. The matte porcelain surface diffuses light softly across the forms, emphasizing the purity of line and the precision of their construction and revealing Mukai’s sensitivity to the tactile and functional qualities of the tea vessel—objects designed not only to be seen but to be held, poured, and shared. The kyūsu teapot measures approximately 17 cm (6.7 inches) wide, 20 cm (7.9 inches) long, and 9 cm (3.5 inches) high, while each yunomi cup measures approximately 8.5 cm (3.3 inches) in diameter and 5 cm (2 inches) tall. The set is in excellent condition and was acquired directly from the artist.
Mukai Naoko was born in Tokyo in 1999, and graduated from Musashino Art University in 2023 with a degree in Crafts and Industrial Design, specializing in ceramics, and completed the Tajimi City Pottery Design and Technical Center in 2025. Representing a new generation of ceramic artists, her work has already been presented internationally and domestically, including Talking Flowers at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague (2022), ishoken: A New Wind at Nihonbashi Takashimaya (Tokyo, 2024), and Alluring Forms at Gallery Voice (Tajimi, 2025). In 2025, she was selected for the 6th Kanazawa World Crafts Triennale at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, marking her emergence onto a broader contemporary craft stage.
