0101 Japanese porcelain "mamezara" small plate

Mamezara, also known as teshio-zara, is a small plate with a diameter of less than about 6cm.
It is said that it got its name from the fact that salt was placed on a small plate to ward off impurities from the meal.

In Japan, meals were once served individually on small trays called ozen, rather than at a dining table.
It was like a small low table, and required the invention of a small dish like a small plate.

These cute small plates come in a wide variety of shapes and are often painted or sculpted with natural motifs such as flowers, butterflies, and landscapes.
In this small space, the ideas and techniques of the artisans are expressed.
It may be a small item on the dining table, but it is one that enriches people's hearts.

The mamezara, teshiozara in another name, is a small plate with diameter less than about 6 cm.
Te and shio means a hand and salt respectively, because originally it was used to serve a small
amount of salt alongside for the purpose of help-yourself seasoning according to an individual taste.
In Japan, a meal was once served not on a dining table, but individually on a small tray called o-zen
that was more like a small low-table, which necessitated the invention of the small dishes like the mamezara.

Cute and varied in the shape, many of the plate have natural motifs like a flower, a butterfly and landscape,
and evidently craftsman's care and skills are exhibiting in such tiny space.