Japanese dinner plates, Mamezara, amabro

“All small things are cute things"

About 1000 years ago, a Japanese woman Sei Shonagon wrote about the cute things in her essay "Makura no Soshi." In that essay, she wrote that "all small things are cute things." The sensitivity of human beings seems to have been same for 1000 years.

As for Japanese dinner plates, mamezara has been popular as small things. We see a lot of pictures of mamezara in SNS. Mamezara, or small Japanese dinner plates are familiar tableware for Japanese people as a photogenic item, cute tableware, useful dinner plate, or collector’s item.

Let us introduce special mamezara set from MAME series of amabro.

MAME series of amabro is stylish small plate of Arita porcelain. All small Japanese dinner plates are handmade by craftsmen.
The gold color of mamezara shines on the dinner table. The mamezara sets within beautiful Paulownia box would be great gift for your dearest person.

Japan Design Store original sets of small Japanese dinner plates!

1. Cute and gorgeous!
   amabro MAME “Art piece set” 5 plates

   This set is “Art piece set” from MAME series of amabro.
   This set includes 5 different plates; “Kissho-Sakana-kata-sara”, “Fukisumi-Fuji-kata-sara”, “Komon-Itomaki-kata-sara”, “Mizutama-Momo-gata-zara”, and “Ruri-yu-Kame-gata-zara”.
   These 5 Japanese dinner plates are especially popular among various plates of amabro.

   

   Art piece set has retro atmosphere, but cute and fashionable. These cute Japanese dinner plates would be cool interior goods as well.
   We also offer 3 plates set within paulownia box and 4 plates set.

   
   

   Related Products

   • 

     [Set of 5] [Paulownia box] Art piece set / MAME series / Mamezara plate / amabro

     $79.99

     Easy order, Ship soon

     Shop now
     Available to reserve

2. Traditional and modern Sometsuke!
   amabro MAME “Traditional set” 5 plates

   This set is “Traditional set” from MAME series of amabro.
   This set includes 5 blue and white plates; “Botan-Cho-mon-Kakuzara”, “Fukisumi-Fuji-kata-sara”, “Komon-Itomaki-kata-sara”, “Souka-Mokko-kata-sara”, and “Cho-Susuki-mon-Hakkaku-zara”.
   These 5 plates have traditional Sometsuke atmosphere and beautiful kinsai (gold painting).

   

   The Japanese dinner plates of Traditional set look like miniature of artistic big plates of Sometsuke. Traditional set is especially recommended for adults who pursue the selection of food ceramics. Simple blue and white tableware suit daily dinner, too.
   We also offer 3 plates set within paulownia box and 4 plates set.

   
   

   Related Products

   • 

     [Set of 5] [Paulownia box] Traditional set / MAME series / Mamezara plate / amabro

     $79.99

     Easy order, Ship soon

     Shop now
     Available to reserve

3. Stylish and elegant!
   amabro MAME “Buyer recommended set” 5 plates

   This set is “Buyer recommended set” from MAME series of amabro.
   This set includes 5 elegant plates; “Shikie-Goben-Rinka”, “Botan-Cho-mon-Kakuzara”, “Tsubaki-mon-Rinka”, “Souka-Mokko-kata-sara”, and “Cho-Susuki-mon-Hakkaku-zara”.
   Our buyer selected 5 elegant and cute Japanese dinner plates.

   

   Plants are familiar motif in ceramics paintings. Buyer recommended set reminds us Japanese aesthetic sense. The rounded form dinner plates are useful for your dinner every day.
   We also offer 3 plates set within paulownia box and 4 plates set.

   
   

   Related Products

   • 

     [Set of 5] [Paulownia box] Buyer recommended set / MAME series / Mamezara plate / amabro

     $79.99

     Easy order, Ship soon

     Shop now
     Available to reserve

Delicate work of each Japanese dinner plate

Each mamezara plate of MAME series are not only stylish, but also auspicious. Please check the auspicious meanings of the Japanese dinner plates.

1. amabro MAME “Shikie-Goben-Rinka”

   On the flower-form plate, Matsu (pine tree) is painted. 5 gold paintings are horses. A pine tree grows to a big and dignified tree. Also, Matsu keeps its green eternally. So, matsu is a symbol of prosperity, long-life, and eternal constancy.

   

2. amabro MAME “Botan-Cho-mon-Kakuzara”

   The combination of Botan (peony) and Cho (butterfly) has been familiar as a card in Hanafuda (a kind of Japanese playing card). Butterfly repeats metamorphose, and become a beautiful creature. So, Cho is a symbol of revival. Peony has the name of “King of all sorts of flowers.”
   The beautiful paintings of the Japanese dinner plate are hand-painted by craftsmen with a special skill “Dami”.

   In Dami, craftsmen draw contours of the design first. After that, craftsmen paint over inside the contours with very bold brush.
   On the delicate work, cute gold polka dots shine.

   

3. amabro MAME “Kissho-Sakana-kata-sara”

   The fish of this cute Japanese dinner plate is Tai (Red seabream). Since the old time, Tai has been auspicious symbol for Japanese people. Fish relates deeply to the diet of Japanese people. The fresh and beautiful form of fish have been loved as motifs for ceramics.

   The bright red color scales are hand-painted by craftsmen.

   

4. amabro MAME “Tsubaki-mon-Rinka”

   At the center of this Japanese dinner plate, camellia is painted. Camellia is loved as “Queen of flowers in tea ceremony.” The flowers in tea ceremony express the season of the time. When winter comes, we frequently see camellia in many tea ceremonies.

   Golden chained rings surround camellia on the mamezara. The form of this mamezara is chrysanthemum. So, this flower plate fit well with TY Palace plate of 1616/arita japan. The Palace plate also has the shape of chrysanthemum.

   

5. amabro MAME “Fukisumi-Fuji-kata-sara”

   It is said “when you shape a mountain, you should make Mt. Fuji.” Fujiyama is a special mountain for Japanese people. The shape of Fuji is very auspicious motif.
   The blue foot of Mt. Fuji is expressed by a special skill “Fukisumi.”

   Fukisumi is a kind of painting skill. Craftsmen spray Gosu (cobalt blue glaze) by spray for ceramics. Since all the item is handmade, the pattern for this Japanese dinner plate is only one in the world.

   

6. amabro MAME “Komon-Itomaki-kata-sara”

   This unique form is shape of spool. Spool shape plates are popular in antique mamezara of Edo era. On unique plate, detailed Komon (small patterns) are printed.
   At the center of this Japanese dinner plate, a golden sailing boat shines.

   

7. amabro MAME “Mizutama-Momo-gata-zara”

   Momo means peach. Peach is believed to drive out evils, and bring perpetual youth and long life.
   On rounded peach plate, blue glaze and gold polka dots fit well. This Japanese dinner plate is a traditional blue porcelain, but has cute impression.

   

8. amabro MAME “Souka-Mokko-kata-sara”/p>

   Mokko is said that the section of sliced cucumber or the nest of birds. Mokko has loved as the motif for prosperity. Big peony is painted by gold paintings.

   

9. amabro MAME “Ruri-yu-Kame-gata-zara”

   Kame means turtles. It is said “cranes live for a thousand years and turtles live for ten thousand years.” As a symbol of long life, Japanese people have loved kame for a long time. The hexagon pattern of shell means lucky sign. On beautiful drawing of turtles, this Japanese dinner plate has cute golden polka dots.

   

10. amabro MAME “Cho-Susuki-mon-Hakkaku-zara”

    Detailed Sometsuke paintings is Susuki (Japanese plume grass). The zigzag golden line expresses thunder. Susuki and thunder express the scene of fall.
    Octagon plate is believed to be auspicious. So, this Japanese dinner plate has beautiful scenery of Japan and auspicious meanings.

    

Various use of Japanese dinner plates MAME

MAME from amabro is stylish series of mamezara. Japanese people have loved and used the small Japanese dinner plates for a long time.
Let us introduce some of their use.

1. Be an accent on dinner table! As daily tableware

   Let’s use small Japanese dinner plates for seasonings. For example, olive oil for bread, maple syrup for Gorgonzola cheese, or some pickles.
   When you put some mamezara on a tray, you can make a Kaiseki plate at your home!
   Your home party becomes colorful and happy with many mamezara.

   

2. Elegant tea time! As plates for confectioneries

   Since the Japanese dinner plates of MAME series are colorful and stylish, your teatime will be happier with the dessert on the mamezara.
   For Japanese confectioneries, or cookies or chocolates, every dessert seems cuter on stylish mamezara.
   Please enjoy a wonderful tea time in your home.

   

3. Relaxing art objects! As interior goods

   Each small plate is an art piece of Japanese craftsmanship. You can make your own gallery with your favorite Japanese dinner plates.
   The mamezara gallery makes you happy every day at entrance or living room. Also, you can enjoy seasonal decorations by changing combination of mamezara.

   As a place mat for MAME series, we recommend Shiki plate of Japan Design Store.

   

4. Cute storage! As accessory trays

   Small and stylish Japanese dinner plates work as accessory tray, too. For example, cute mamezara is good place for keys, rings, pierced earrings, or watches. Those small things tend to be lost.
   But if you keep the small stuff on cute trays, you do not lose them. Above all, they are stylish! Please keep your favorite accessories on your favorite mamezara.

   

Mamezara spread with mass culture of Edo people

It is said that the origin of mamezara is “Teshiozara.”
Japanese traditional meal style is called “Ichiju-Sansai.” For upper-class people, meal is set with rice, soup, main dish and some sub dishes. Chopsticks are rest at the nearest side of the tray. And, by the chopsticks, Teshiozara was put.

Teshiozara is a small plate for putting salt. To purify the meal dish, salt was put. Gradually, the purpose of the small plate changed to a plate for soy sauce or vinegar.

This Teshiozara spread to mass culture in the middle of Edo era. The center of the culture became merchant class. They imitated the meal style of upper-class people and started to use porcelain. Naturally, small Japanese dinner plates spread, too. More various mamezara become produced for favor of Japanese people.

The small Japanese dinner plates of MAME series was born with a respect to popular loved paintings at that time. Adding the modern aesthetic sense to cute patterns of Edo era, new mamezara was produced.

Drawers for mamezara!

Mamezara of MAME series from amabro have been popular among ceramic lovers. For collectors, amabro offers special set within beautiful paulownia drawers.

The paulownia box has partitions for each plate. Therefore, you can easily take a plate out, look at it, and return it again.
The paulownia box itself has elegant gold tooling.

Also, amabro offers very stylish exclusive boxes for each plate. On the crimson red box, gild tooling is stand out. (* No crimson box for paulownia box set)

Amabro pursues packages as well. Stylish Japanese dinner plates of MAME series would be great gifts.

Inka of “A” as potter’s mark

Please look at the backside of small Japanese dinner plates of MAME. Each plate has potter’s mark of “A”. For Japanese traditional mamezara, Inka of alphabet gives modern atmosphere.

Japanese dinner plates as gifts

MAME series is a stylish mamezara with both traditional and modern atmosphere. Small and cute plates color daily life. High-class tableware would be suitable for presents.

Japan Design Store offers various gift wrapping. We will wrap your items thoughtfully.

Elegant Japan Design Store original box!

Some sets are within Japan Design Store original box. Our box is sophisticated ivory box with gold logo mark as an accent.

Auspicious mamezara sets would be great wedding gifts, housewarming gifts, or birthday gifts. For the Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, high-class tableware is suitable.