Posted By: Bill H
Posted Date: Apr 29, 2009 (12:17 AM)
Hi Paul & Arjan,
Those dimensions could fit a wine cup or the cup stand (haidai) I had in mind, but the average cup washer (haisen) would indeed be much larger. I've Googled around the web for examples of the pedestal-type cup stand I recall seeing as part of a Japanese tea set, but to no avail. No use speculating, because if they look like pedestal cups, and hold tea or sake like pedestal cups, then we might as well drink from them like pedestal cups! Right? :)
For what it's worth, here's my only example of a Japanese cup stand that has a pedestal base. However, this one has a flat top that's decorated trompe l'oeil style as a stargazer lily. It's about three inches tall and the same in diameter. The mark is that of Meiji master potter Makuzu Kozan. This stand would have accommodated cups in the same pattern with foot rims wide enough to overlap its center lip, which provides stability.
Regards,
Bill H.
