Vintage Somayaki Japanese Pottery - Teapot and 2 tea cups - Golden Horse pattern

Description

This is a vintage (post-WWII) Somayaki tea set consisting of a teapot and 2 Asian type tea cups (typically Asian teacups don't have handles).  Per a post on the Japanese Culture and Community Center of Washington (JCCCW) this pottery style is unique to Japan:
They are ceramic cups with double walls, which kept tea hot and the outer wall cool. There were heart-shaped holes on the outer wall, through which I could see the inner wall. The greenish-gray glaze was crackled, and there was an image of a horse on it.
According to the organization of Soma-yaki potters, this pottery was made in the district of Obori in the town of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture in northern Japan, and its official name is now Obori Soma-yaki. It originated about 350 years ago, and the Soma clan, the feudal lords of this region, protected this industry and helped it grow. The hand-painted image of a horse on Soma-yaki comes from the Soma clan’s “shinme,” a horse dedicated to a Shinto shrine.
When the potters' business was threatened they strove to
...differentiate their products from others and devised new features such as crackled greenish-gray glaze and double walls. These were successes. After World War II, their market expanded internationally, and in America, the teacups enjoyed much popularity as “double cups,” and even double-wall wine coolers and punch bowls were made for the American market. In 1978, Soma-yaki was designated as a traditional craft by the Japanese government. The criteria for this designation stipulates that crafts must be primarily made by hand using at least 100-year old techniques and materials that remain unchanged for at least 100 years.
These items are in excellent unused condition, a bit of dust that's all! An excellent addition to an Asian handcraft collection or Asian themed decor.  On Etsy other sets of just the teacups are . So my price, including the teapot is very reasonable.