{"product_id":"ko-imari-soba-choko-set-of-5-ichimatsu-patchwork-sometsuke-blue","title":"Ko-Imari Soba Choko Set of 5 — Ichimatsu Patchwork Sometsuke Blue","description":"Five cups. One system. The ichimatsu pattern — checkered patchwork of squares, each containing its own universe of sometsuke motifs — is among the most sophisticated structural ideas in Japanese ceramic design, and Ko-Imari brought it to full expression. This set of five antique soba choko cups presents the ichimatsu program with variety within unity: each square in the checkerboard carries a different blue-and-white design — flowers, geometric patterns, waves — yet the set reads as a coherent whole. For collectors of Ko-Imari blue and white, antique Japanese tableware sets, or sometsuke ichimatsu ceramics, these cups carry the density of intention that distinguishes Imari's historic output from its many imitators. Antique condition consistent with age.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[ BASIC DETAILS ]\u003cbr\u003e• Form: Soba choko (small cylindrical cup) — set of 5\u003cbr\u003e• Style: Ko-Imari (old Imari) sometsuke blue and white\u003cbr\u003e• Pattern: Ichimatsu (checkered patchwork) with varied motifs\u003cbr\u003e• Motifs: Flowers, geometric patterns, waves within each square\u003cbr\u003e• Condition: Antique condition; minor variation between cups consistent with age and kiln production\u003cbr\u003e• Sold as: Set of 5\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[ CULTURAL INSIGHT ]\u003cbr\u003eKo-Imari — old Imari ware produced before the mid-Edo period — represents Japanese blue-and-white porcelain at its most energetic. The ichimatsu pattern takes its name from a famous kabuki actor of the Edo period whose costume featured the checkerboard design, but the pattern's roots reach into textile traditions far older. In ceramics, translating a textile structure into painted porcelain requires a kind of conceptual ambition: the painter must think simultaneously in terms of the square grid and the motif within each cell. Each cup in this set is a small encyclopedia of sometsuke vocabulary.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[ DEEP DIVE ]\u003cbr\u003eSoba choko were originally designed for serving soba dipping sauce, but their compact cylindrical form and generous mouth have made them among the most versatile vessels in the Japanese table tradition — used for sake, tea, small desserts, or mise en place in modern dining. A set of five follows the traditional Japanese table setting for five, a number with cultural resonance in Japanese aesthetics (go-nin-mae). The coherence of an antique set that has remained together through decades — each cup showing the slight variation of individual kiln production — gives this set a provenance that no reproduction can replicate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e---\u003cbr\u003e【日本語】\u003cbr\u003e古伊万里の蕎麦猪口、市松文様の5客セットです。碁盤目状の升目の中にそれぞれ異なる染付文様が描かれ——花、幾何学文、波——統一の中に変化が宿る、市松文の真骨頂を示す作品群です。古伊万里の染付は江戸期の活力を今に伝えており、そばちょこという形の汎用性も相まって、現代の食卓にも自然に馴染みます。5客揃いで長年ともにあった歴史が、このセットに固有の存在感を与えています。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e🔹 [ SHIPPING \u0026amp; PACKAGING ]\u003cbr\u003e• Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days\u003cbr\u003e• Carrier: Japan Post EMS \/ UPS (with tracking)\u003cbr\u003e• Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials","brand":"The Modern Zen Archive","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":61638305087858,"sku":"260304_a_2332","price":814.0,"currency_code":"AED","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/5680\/3698\/files\/m97652930086_1.jpg?v=1772715009","url":"https:\/\/checkout.themodernzenarchive.com\/products\/ko-imari-soba-choko-set-of-5-ichimatsu-patchwork-sometsuke-blue","provider":"The Modern Zen Archive","version":"1.0","type":"link"}