Karatsu guinomi

Small sake cup in Karatsu sandstone of the shihohai type with kintsugi restoration with gold powder

A guinomi (ぐい呑み) is a ceramic dish for serving sake. It is smaller than a tea chawan. It can have a foot and even small handles. The shapes are free and there are many styles. Here, the kintsugi repair is adorned with miru seaweed (海松), also called "sea pine". In Japan, seaweed has been harvested and used in food for thousands of years. But here it is a play on words. The term miru also means "to see someone to court". In The Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari), the protagonist composes a poem about the sea pine wanting to see his beloved.