This is a tea set specialized for gyokuro, which Hiro’s grandfather used to use. The teapot is hohin type. It is a small teapot with no handle. A tea strainer is mounted on this teapot. The teapot holds about 100ml (3.5oz), and teacups hold about 20ml (0.7oz)/each. They are very small, aren’t they? Look at the picture on the right. This hohin teapot is only as big as a regular tea cup. This tea set includes a water cooler, which you just pour hot water into it, and cool the water. You don’t have to have this kind of specialize tea set. You can prepare gyokuro with a small kyusu (side or back handle teapot) and cups, but smaller will be better for gyokuro as you see here.We have a spring holidays week in Japan! So, I’ll have a little break from this blog. See you in a week!
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ReplyDeleteHi , I wonder if you have any information about who made the Bizen cups and water cooler and where they come from? I have the same ones that I got from an antiquities sale along with a kyusu that goes with the set. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi, vci-san, Wow, you have a kyusu of this series. I got this tea set from my grandfather after he died. I regret to say that I don’t know anything about this teapot. I don’t even know whether they are from Bizen. What I can see is that the design on this teapot is created by Mogake technique or seaweed.
DeleteHi Kohei, very interesting for sure. You can see my set at http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16109&start=300 under the name victoria3 in middle of page. I identified it as Bizen Yaki using Mogake seaweed design, although that was just a composite guess based on searching around. Don't know if that is correct though. The kyusu is very fine and the lid fits absolutely perfectly. Is your signature the same? Or maybe you have no signature if you don't have the kyusu. My cups and water cooler have no signature. The set is clearly made by a master.
DeleteI’ve visited the link that you gave me and I found the pictures of your teapots. You have nice different teapots! They are beautiful.
DeleteMy hohin teapot has an imprint on the back, but the cups and water-cooler don’t have. My imprint is not so clear or readable, but when comparing with the imprint on your kyusu, I’m quite sure the imprint is from the same potter. There is no drip from the spout, so I also think the potter must be a skilled craftsman!
Very exciting we might have a tea-ware reunion one day! My impression was also very faint so I rubbed some charcoal into it to bring out the shadows more. If I find anything more out I'll post it here for you. We are both lucky to have these fine pieces.
DeleteThanks, I’ll look forward to hearing any new information, and also look forward to the reunion (^0^)/
DeleteHello, old friend, vci here again. Asako Isobe in Aichi who runs a ceramic teaware shop and knows many Tokoname craftsmen, let me know that our tea sets are crafted by Koudou Studio in Tokonama. Chitoshi Morita represented /ran the studio. Asako says he hired many craftsmen and one of them could have made these sets. This set is so fine I think a master crafted these pieces. I can email you a picture of him from a Tokoname book published in 1980.
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