Recent Articles

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  9th Nov 2026

  Plum or Cherry Blossom? How to Tell Them Apart on Japanese Ceramics

  The plum opens while the air is still cold, and the cherry follows a month or more later. On a cup…

  Published by Team Manekineko-Ai

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  2nd Nov 2026

  How to Choose a Japanese Incense Burner (Koro): Bronze, Porcelain, and the Motifs They Carry

  An incense burner spends most of its life unlit. For those hours it is simply an object on a shelf…

  Published by Team Manekineko-Ai

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  26th Oct 2026

  How to Choose a Japanese Calligraphy Brush: A Guide to Nara Fude

  A calligraphy brush looks simple: a bamboo handle and a tuft of hair. Almost everything about how…

  Published by Team Manekineko-Ai

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  23rd Oct 2026

  Choosing a Matcha Bowl: Reading the Shape, Size, and Clay of a Chawan

  A matcha bowl is the one piece of teaware you hold in both hands and look straight into. It is wor…

  Published by Team Manekineko-Ai