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A Japanese dinner rarely arrives on one big plate. Pickles sit in one tiny dish, soy sauce in another, a spoonful of grated ginger in a third. Those palm-sized plates are called mamezara, literally “bean plates,” and they are the easiest way to make a home table look Japanese.
Many of the mamezara sold in Japan come from one place: the Mino region of Gifu Prefecture. On Amazon.com a search for Mino ware turns up dozens of small-plate sets, most with thin listings plus very few reviews.
We compared three sets that were in stock on Amazon.com in late October 2026 on size, shape, care instructions, ratings plus what the listings actually say. This is a desk comparison of public information, not a hands-on test.
Our Pick: Which Mino Ware Small Plate Set to Buy
- MINO WARE Cute Cats small plates, set of 4 — about $14.50, 4.6 out of 5 from more than 2,900 ratings. The pick for most people: the cheapest set here with by far the longest review record. Each plate is just under 4 inches across, so think soy sauce plus pickles, not dessert.
- Mino Ware Small Square Plate Set, 3.7 inch, set of 4 — about $34, with only a single rating so far. The pick if you want classic indigo patterns that look like what a Japanese restaurant would use. You pay more per plate for very little buyer feedback.
- COTONOHA Mino Ware Ceramic Plates, 5.5 inch, set of 5 — about $37, 4.6 out of 5 from 5 ratings. The pick for a slightly larger plate that also works for a cookie, a slice of cake or a few pieces of sushi.
If you only buy one set, start with the cats. It has thousands of ratings behind it, the price is low enough to treat it as an experiment, plus small sauce plates are the size most Western kitchens are missing.
What Mamezara Are For
Mamezara are the smallest plates in a Japanese cupboard, usually under about 4 inches (10 cm) across. In everyday use they hold soy sauce for sashimi or dumplings, a few slices of pickled radish, a dab of wasabi, salt for tempura or a single wagashi sweet with tea.
Japanese households tend to collect them one or two at a time rather than in matching sets. Mixing patterns on the same table is normal, which is why a set of four different designs, like the cat plates below, feels natural rather than mismatched.
Size is the thing buyers most often get wrong. A 3.7 to 4 inch plate is roughly the width of a smartphone. It is perfect for sauces but too small for a slice of cake. If you want one plate that does both, look at the 5.5 inch set at the end of this guide.
The Brand in Japan: Mino Ware (Mino-yaki)
Mino ware is not a company but a region. The name covers pottery made in the Tono area of southeastern Gifu Prefecture, around the cities of Tajimi, Toki, Mizunami plus Kani. The area is commonly cited as producing about half of all ceramic tableware made in Japan.
Its reputation was built in the late 1500s, when local kilns created tea-ceremony styles that are still famous: milky white Shino, green-glazed Oribe plus yellow Ki-Seto. The Japanese government designated Mino ware a traditional craft in 1978.
Because Mino is defined by place rather than by one look, its plates range from hand-thrown art pieces to inexpensive everyday porcelain made in large workshops. In Japan it is the tableware many people own without knowing the name: the plain rice bowl or sauce dish from a supermarket or a 100-yen shop is very often Mino-made. If you like everyday Japanese ceramics, Mino pairs naturally with Hasami ware bowls from Nagasaki, the other big source of affordable porcelain.
MINO WARE Cute Cats Small Plates, Set of 4 (Around $14.50 on Amazon)
This is the best-known Mino small-plate set on Amazon.com, with a rating of 4.6 out of 5 from more than 2,900 ratings. Each porcelain plate measures 3.94 inches across plus 0.8 inches tall, weighs about 2.2 oz, comes in four different cat poses painted in Japanese indigo.
Cats are a familiar motif in Japanese tableware, from the beckoning maneki-neko to cartoon-style kitchen goods, so this set reads as playful rather than formal. Picture it on a weeknight: soy sauce in one plate, a few pickles in another, a wedge of lemon in the third. The rim is low enough that a gyoza dips easily.
Amazon’s summary of buyer reviews says people like the whimsical artwork, find the plates easy to clean, consider them good value, plus often give them as gifts. The recurring complaint is size: some buyers expected a dessert plate. At under 4 inches, this really is a condiment dish.
The listing does not state microwave or dishwasher compatibility, so hand washing is the safe default. Buy it if you want a cheap, cheerful introduction to Japanese small plates or a gift for a cat lover.
Mino Ware Small Square Plate Set, 3.7 Inch, Set of 4 (Around $34 on Amazon)
This set takes the opposite approach to the cats: four square plates, each about 3.7 inches wide, decorated in traditional blue-and-white (sometsuke) patterns such as peony, vine plus lattice. The listing is labelled Product of Gifu, Japan, with microwave-safe plus dishwasher-safe icons in its images.
Square mamezara are what you often see at Japanese restaurants under a dab of wasabi or a few slices of tamagoyaki. The slightly raised corners stop sauce from running off. Set out four different patterns on a dark tray plus it looks like a curated collection rather than a boxed set.
The honest downside is the evidence. At the time we checked, the set had only a single rating, plus the listing copy is careless: one bullet describes it as a matcha bowl. The photos clearly show flat square plates, but buyers have little feedback to go on.
At roughly $8.50 per plate it also costs more than twice as much per piece as the cat set. Buy it if the classic indigo look matters more to you than a long review record.
COTONOHA Mino Ware Ceramic Plates, 5.5 Inch, Set of 5 (Around $37 on Amazon)
COTONOHA’s set looks nothing like the other two. Instead of painted indigo, each plate has a speckled, oatmeal-colored rim with a pool of watery blue glaze in the center. The listing describes the plates as handcrafted, so the blue pool will differ a little from plate to plate.
At 5.5 inches (14 cm) across plus about 1.15 inches tall, this is a step up from a true mamezara. It is the size Japanese homes use for a few pieces of sushi, a rice cracker snack or a slice of castella cake. The glaze has the slightly rough, earthy feel of tea-ceremony ware, which suits matcha sweets especially well.
The listing states the plates are microwave-safe plus dishwasher-friendly. Each weighs about 6 oz (169 g), noticeably heavier than the cat plates, which gives them a solid, grounded feel in the hand.
The catch is a short track record: 4.6 out of 5, but from only 5 ratings, plus Amazon showed just 3 sets left in stock when we checked. Buy it if you want one versatile small plate for both sauces plus sweets with a more artisan look.
Compare the Three
| Cute Cats (4) | Square 3.7″ (4) | COTONOHA 5.5″ (5) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | $14.50 | $34 | $37 |
| Price per plate | about $3.60 | about $8.50 | about $7.40 |
| Size | 3.94″ round | 3.7″ square | 5.5″ round |
| Style | Playful indigo cats | Classic sometsuke patterns | Speckled rim, blue glaze pool |
| Microwave / dishwasher | Not stated | Yes, per listing | Yes, per listing |
| Amazon rating | 4.6 (2,900+ ratings) | 1 rating only | 4.6 (5 ratings) |
| Best for | Sauces, pickles, gifts | Restaurant-style condiments | Sweets, snacks, sushi |
For a first set, the cats win on price plus evidence. You get four usable sauce dishes for less than the cost of two plates in the other sets, backed by thousands of ratings.
Choose the square set if you want the traditional blue-and-white look on the table, accepting that you are buying on photos rather than reviews. Choose COTONOHA if you want a plate that can also hold dessert, or if you simply prefer a glazed, earthy finish to painted patterns.
Buyer’s Considerations
Check the diameter before anything else. Listings use “small plate” for everything from a 3-inch sauce dish to a 6-inch side plate. Under 4 inches means condiments only; 5 to 6 inches covers sweets plus snacks.
Treat care claims as the seller’s word. Everyday Mino porcelain is generally sturdy, but hand-painted or reactive-glaze pieces last longer with gentle washing. If a listing says nothing about the microwave, assume hand washing plus no microwave.
Expect small variations. Painted lines, glaze pools plus speckles shift from plate to plate on Japanese ceramics, which buyers in Japan see as part of the charm rather than a defect. If you grind sesame for dipping sauces, a Japanese suribachi mortar is the natural companion to a set of mamezara.
Summary
Mino ware comes from Japan’s largest pottery region, so it is the most natural place to start a collection of small plates. The MINO WARE Cute Cats set is the easy first buy: about $14.50 with thousands of ratings. Step up to the square indigo set for a traditional look, or to COTONOHA’s 5.5-inch plates if you also want room for dessert.
FAQ
What is mamezara?
Mamezara means “bean plate.” It is the Japanese name for very small plates, usually under about 4 inches across, used for soy sauce, pickles, condiments or a single sweet.
Where is Mino ware made?
In the Tono area of Gifu Prefecture in central Japan, around Tajimi, Toki, Mizunami plus Kani. Mino is a regional name rather than a single brand, which is why sets from different sellers can look very different.
Are Mino ware plates dishwasher safe?
It depends on the piece. The square set plus the COTONOHA set state that they are microwave-safe plus dishwasher-safe on Amazon.com. The cat set listing does not say, so hand washing is the safer choice.
Are the cat plates big enough for dessert?
Not really. At 3.94 inches across they are sized for sauces plus small bites, which is the most common surprise in buyer reviews. For dessert, the 5.5-inch COTONOHA plates are the better fit.
Why do prices change so often?
These sets are imported from Japan by individual sellers, so prices plus stock on Amazon.com shift frequently. The figures here were checked on Amazon.com in late October 2026 plus are approximate.