Yamachu Arita

Arita ware has more than 400 years of porcelain craft behind it, but traditional pieces can be heavy, bulky to stack and easily marked by cutlery. Yamachu Arita is the Arita firm's answer to those problems. Development was led by third-generation head Yasushi Yamamoto, and the range spans sizes from small plates for breakfast bread to large dinner plates.

Lighter, stronger porcelain

Each piece is hand-finished by Arita craftspeople, who give it a matte surface and a softly rounded, hand-polished rim. The maker says it developed a reinforced porcelain with local kiln partners that targets roughly twice the strength of standard porcelain of the same thickness while weighing about 10% less than standard porcelain tableware of the same size. Yamachu cites internal edge-pressure and drop tests. It also notes that reinforced does not mean unbreakable, and that strength can vary with test method and glaze batch.

No foot ring

Most porcelain has a raised foot ring on the base to protect it during firing. Yamachu says it eliminated the ring by combining custom-designed setters (firing supports) with tight control of temperature and firing time. According to the maker, the fully flat base lets 10 plates stack to just 4.6cm, and stacks stay level instead of rocking. The company adds that the flat base helps the plates sit steadily on the table.

Everyday details

• A surface treatment the maker says resists grey cutlery marks, achieved by adjusting the glaze's silica-to-alumina ratio and the firing temperature
• A barely visible groove near the rim that the maker says catches sauces and soups, though it can still spill if a plate is tilted sharply
• A low rim and a curved underside designed for a one-handed grip
• Microwave and dishwasher safe, according to the maker, thanks to low iron content and gradual firing cycles; oven and grill use is not recommended

Yamachu Arita is presented as a Kickstarter project that pairs Arita craftsmanship with features suited to everyday kitchen use.