To-Go Coffee Cups Made of Turned Wood

There is a subset of Japanese artisans who pursue an almost absurd level of perfection. To those familiar with their materials and processes, the objects can inspire awe; to the layperson, it may seem that the attention paid to their manufacture needlessly surpasses the humility of the object. Shirasagi Mokkou, a third-generation family-run firm, skirts that line. The company makes wooden objects with rotational symmetry: Bowls and trays, which are not that rare, and startlingly refined...