Yamaki ikai M1702, Japanese Matcha Bowl Mino Ware Kaneta Tenmaishi Chawan, Made in Japan

I ordered this bowl because I have a new Matcha addiction and I decided it was about time I start collecting some supplies. This bowl is the perfect size ( about 4.5 inches) for whisking Matcha. The sides are also high enough that vigorous whisking doesn't slosh it out ( well it COULD if you were really whisking like crazy with a more filled bowl LOL!) The glaze is smooth and has what I think is the right amount of shine. The bowl also has a nice thickness and weight, it just feels good! The shape of the bowl is a little different than the picture on the listing but, I don't mind as it is still beautiful. I've added pictures to show off my new bowl :) I would have loved a little more pattern on my mine, and I may order again ( my hubby needs one) to try and get one with such. But for now I am VERY happy with this one and I feel the price was super reasonable for a Matcha Bowl made in Japan and Imported.

I have to admit that while I enjoy Matcha, my main motivation in developing my new daily cup a day habit was for the reported health benefits. Matcha is said to have over 130 times the main cancer fighting component, EGCG catechin. Without sounding pretentious, I believe that part of the enjoyment as well as health benefit comes from the small ritualistic way you consume things and for that using a beautiful container adds to the visceral pleasure and spiritual component. This is a beautiful bowl which is not done justice to by the photo. The shape is also helpful in mixing your matcha with a nice wide but not too big mouth. The glaze is high quality with a wonderful luster that lends an earthy, substantial quality. Very happy with the purchase and highly recommended.

This matcha bowl is beautiful. I am so happy I ordered this. I started drinking Matcha green tea at the beginning of the year. I originally bought a Matcha set that came with the bowl, wisk and spoon. The bowl is very small, so I bought one a little bigger. That one chipped in FOUR places around the rim. I searched for something that will hopefully last longer and this bowl looks like it will last! It's larger than my last two bowls which is a HUGE plus IMO. They bowl has a nice clear glaze that I am hopeful will hold up better to chipping than my last bowl which I tossed in the garbage after receiving this one. I have only had it for a short time, but will update to let people know if it holds up to chipping. So far I am very, very pleased with this matcha bowl.

This is a pretty little bowl. As explained elsewhere, you will receive the bowl from any of many providers, and they vary significantly. What I got didn't look much like the picture, but it was okay. I won't send it back. However: I would not classify this as a "matcha bowl". I'm not Japanese, but I have been collecting (reasonably-priced) matcha bowls for about 10 years. (I'm not a connoisseur or trained in the traditional way to prepare and drink matcha tea, but I do like a pretty bowl.) Yes, there are several different shapes and sizes for these bowls, and different opinions which size/shape is "right". That said, this bowl appears in the picture to be of the "half-cylindar" shape, which is my personal preference. I look for this shape because I most often see it with straight sides, and the bottom slopes down to the foot. This may only be my ignorance, but I've always found that the "well" this shape creates holds the exact amount of water needed for matcha as I prepare it (about 2-3 oz.). This bowl has a flat bottom inside. No well. As I said, disappointing to me. Others may not share my opinion, so I don't mean to indicate it's "not as described" or in some way tawdry. It just wasn't what I was expecting. Also, while other reviewers found it "just the right size for whisking the tea", I found it too narrow. Not sure why this is, because it's almost exactly as wide as the bowl I use every day. Perhaps it's because the sides are nearly an inch higher than my other bowl. And because the bottom was flat, I found I had difficulty incorporating the tea as I whisked. There was a ring of wet tea-powder left over when I was done drinking. Whatever the cause, it felt "cramped", and I had trouble getting a rhythm going as I whisked. As a result, my tea didn't froth well. (Of course, there are those who don't think you should froth it, at all, so...) I will keep the bowl because it's pleasing (even though not as nice as pictured here), and you sort of "get what you pay for" in cases like this, but I will use it as a utility bowl, for rice, or cereal or something. Not for matcha tea. Just sayin', for what it's worth.

Normally I don't write reviews because I'm just lazy like that but I had to take a moment to write about how pleased that I am with this matcha bowl. This color and finishing glaze on this particular specimen is better than I had expected. I feel as though my morning matcha-drinking route has become enhanced while gazing at the beauty of this bowl. Matcha-on!

You will read two types of reviews for this product---customers who received the item as pictured (which is gorgeous) and customers who received something similar but appearing to be a different product or brand entirely. If you look below the initial product info on the main page, you will see that there are 110 sellers selling this product from around $9.67 & up (depending on when you are viewing the listing this will fluctuate). Now, Amazon defaults the product page to automatically stock your cart with whichever seller is offering the product at the cheapest price. I had kept this item in my cart as "saved for later" for months, and it fluctuated in price every few days--presumably because different sellers were altering their prices and Amazon would default to different sellers.. So you could order this product from the default seller today, and then order again tomorrow, and have it fulfilled by a different supplier each time. This could result in you getting different versions of the product even though you ordered them at nearly the same time. Furthermore, when you are dealing with ceramics and glazing no two items are the same. I have ordered this item three times---once as a gift and two other times for myself. 1st: When I ordered it as a gift I ordered through the seller JAPACOMO in Nov 2015 and it arrived looking just like the product image, albeit a bit glossier. But glaze pattern and shape was the same. It was truly gorgeous and I nearly kept it for myself! *See first picture below.* Unfortunately the first order was a gift for an International Secret Santa exchange with a stranger and this is the only picture I have of it. Not the greatest but you can see that the glazing is similar and the shape is the same. Smaller for a chawan but it was soooo pretty. This one arrived in a plain white cardboard box with no markings. 2nd: This time I had ordered (unbeknownst to me) from a different seller---"NuBlissful" (May 2016). I was not very happy with the product I received. It was a different shape, size, gloss, & glaze pattern than what was pictured, although a similar design. It's pretty but it's just not the same product.I returned it. *See 2nd photo below.* This one arrived in a dull green box. *See 4th photo below.* 3rd: Hoping to improve my chances of getting the first version I received, I reordered from seller JAPACOMO in May 2016. When I received the shipment it came in the tell-tale dull green box indicating I was getting the dupe again. But the glazing on this particular item was much more beautiful than the last dupe so I just decided to keep it. *See 3rd photo below.* It's not exactly what I was expecting but it is actually a gorgeous piece. I'm not sure how much this helps you at this point. I even received two different products from the same seller. It is sort of a gamble when you order this one. I did a reverse google image search on the product photo and you can find the true chawan in the photo for sale elsewhere, but it seems to be rarer to find and will cost you at least twice what you will be paying on Amazon (plus the cost of shipping). You probably won't be getting the real Kaneta Tenmokunagashi chawan pictured here but you will receive something that is quite close. And a lovely Japanese-made chawan for $15 is really a win! If only they would update the product photo I think they would have a lot more happy customers :) People just need to know what to expect! Certainly when you are dealing with ceramics, no two pieces are alike---so I don't expect anything to look *exactly* the same. But the differences for me between the product image and what I received went well beyond slight artistic differences. It was clear to me that I received different products entirely from at least two separate manufacturers.

The fact I was able to purchase this matcha bowl at such a low price astounds me. The quality is superb, and you can brew some great tea using it. I thought I would have to compromise on quality to find a matcha bowl that fits into my budget, but this is priced lower than anything else I found that can compare in quality. I love the color. I love the tea I brew with it. I feel this bowl may last me a lifetime. For the price they are asking you cannot go wrong. It is a beautiful bowl, truly. The art and ceremony in brewing matcha has much to do with things like

Bowl works, it's solid and big enough tea won't splash everywhere. Bottom is completely flat though, so it will be hard on your whisk if you use bamboo and small amounts of water. Also don't expect it to be as pretty as the product photo. It's a decent imitation but the subtle color variations simply aren't there.