What is Yunomi tea cups?

A yunomi (Japanese: 湯のみ) is a tall form of a Japanese teacup, typically made from a ceramic material and having no handle.

 

Being taller than wide, with a trimmed or turned foot it is a relatively large hot drink vessel, compared with more formal tea-drinking cups. Unlike the more formal chawan tea bowl which is used during the Japanese tea ceremony, the yunomi is made for daily (or informal) tea drinking. Although it is made in either stoneware or ceramic pottery, there are aesthetic reasons for choosing one or the other.

 

There are special pairs of yunomi called meoto yunomi (meoto means "married couple"). Meoto yunomi usually consist of two cups with the same pattern (sometimes in different colours) but slightly different sizes and often slightly different shapes (the larger cup being the "husband" and the smaller being the "wife" cup). This pairing is popular for wedding gifts.