Hasami Porcelain

Hasami Porcelain: Japanese Dinnerware from Nagasaki

Hasami Porcelain is produced in the town of Hasami in Nagasaki Prefecture, where porcelain has been made continuously since the early Edo period in 1599. The pieces in this collection, mugs, plates, bowls, trays, and glassware, are designed in California by Takuhiro Shinomoto and produced in Hasami Village using the divided-labor system that has defined Hasami ware for over 400 years. Each piece moves between specialized craftspeople, with separate artisans responsible for mixing the clay, molding the form, glazing the surface, and supervising the kiln. That structure remains unchanged today, setting Hasami Porcelain apart from regions where ceramics production has been consolidated or industrialized.

The 2010 system designed by Shinomoto reinterpreted Hasami for contemporary use without abandoning the traditional process. The result is a modular tableware system in which every mug, plate, bowl, and tray shares a uniform diameter. Pieces stack precisely into one another, and trays double as lids or coasters depending on placement. The design references the Japanese jubako, a stacking lacquerware box, and oryoki, the nested bowls used in monastic meals, translating both into a daily-use porcelain set built around three finishes: matte black, gloss gray, and natural.

Explore the Hasami Porcelain Collection

The KANSO Hasami Porcelain collection covers the full modular system: Hasami Porcelain mugs, Hasami Porcelain plates, Hasami Porcelain bowls, oak trays, glass tumblers, creamers, and a cork-stoppered bottle. Pieces are sized for daily use across breakfast, lunch, dinner, and tea, with shared diameters that let any plate sit on a mug or bowl as a coaster or lid. Plates start at $12 and bowls at $16.

Hasami Porcelain Mugs

The Hasami Porcelain mug is the most recognized piece in the system, a straight-walled cylindrical form with a uniform 3.4-inch diameter, available in 11oz, 13oz, and 15oz heights that nest together when stacked. Hasami mugs are sold in Natural, an unglazed exterior showing the raw porcelain-and-clay body, Gloss Gray, a proprietary clear glaze over the natural body, and Matte Black, a flat black glaze with no reflective sheen. The handle is sized for full-hand grip rather than two-finger pinch, with a balance point that holds steady when full.

Hasami Porcelain Plates

Hasami Porcelain plates run through the same modular system in six diameters: 3", 5", 7", 8", 10", and 11". Each size pairs directly with a corresponding mug, bowl, or tray, so a plate set over a bowl closes it as a lid and a smaller plate under a mug works as a saucer. Plates are made in all three finishes, matte black, gloss gray, and natural, which allows full mix and match across a table setting. The 10" and 11" sizes work as dinner plates, while the 3" and 5" suit side servings, condiments, and use as covers.

Hasami Porcelain Bowls

Hasami Porcelain bowls come in two depths. The standard bowl sits low and open in 3", 5", 7", 8", and 10" diameters, sized for cereal and soup at the smaller end and for shared serving at 8" and 10". The tall bowl holds a straight-sided profile with no taper from base to rim, so it runs deeper at the same diameter and suits noodles, grains, and layered servings. Tall bowls are made in 5" and 7" in natural and matte black, and in 3", 5", and 7" in gloss gray.

Because bowls share the collection diameter, any Hasami plate sits on top as a lid, which turns a bowl into covered storage that moves from table to refrigerator without a second container. Bowls carry the same three finishes as the rest of the range. The unglazed natural and matte black surfaces take on marks from oils and acidic food over time, which is expected of an unsealed body rather than a fault, while the gloss gray glaze resists them. Bowls start at $16. Browse the full range of Hasami Porcelain bowls.

Materials and Craftsmanship

Each piece is made from a proprietary blend of natural Amakusa pottery stones, sourced locally near Hasami Village, and refined clay, fired at high temperature to a density that produces noticeably more weight in the hand than standard ceramic tableware. The natural finish is unglazed, showing the body of the porcelain directly. The gloss gray uses a custom clear glaze developed specifically for the Hasami system, and the matte black is finished with a flat glaze that absorbs light rather than reflecting it. Hasami Porcelain is dishwasher safe, microwave safe, lead-free, and chip-resistant under daily use.

Hasami Porcelain at KANSO

KANSO is an authorized U.S. retailer for the complete Hasami Porcelain catalog. Every piece on this page ships from U.S. inventory with insured delivery, and the full catalog, including pieces not listed online, is available on request. Send the piece name or a reference image and we will quote it within one business day. Contact our team to inquire about specific Hasami ware pieces, or apply for the KANSO Trade Program for project pricing on full table-setting orders.