Let's See Your Teaware!

[Wholemeal Crank]

So simple, but it does look right: thicker areas are whiter.

It's just fantastic the way basic chemistry and physics result in such glorious variety in ceramics.

[haresfur]

A nuance of some shino glazes is that the recipe includes soda ash (sodium carbonate), which is soluble. It soaks into the clay and forms a sheen around the glazed areas. I don't think most Japanese shino uses it. It also means that you are usually screwed if you mess up glazing because it never seems to wash off properly.

Your pots are amazing WC. You have a real eye and thanks for sharing them.

[Will]

[Wholemeal Crank]

A very contented looking collection. I'm guessing they all get use with different teas, or different numbers of guests, so there's no jealousy in the ranks?

[Will]

A very contented looking collection. I'm guessing they all get use with different teas, or different numbers of guests, so there's no jealousy in the ranks?

Well, the ones at work get a lot more action, since I rarely drink tea at home during the week. So some of the pots don't see a lot of use. But I do have bigger and smaller pots, depending on how many people I'm brewing for. Many of the smallest pots end up at work, because I'm almost always drinking alone there.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Another new cup arrived today, almost the last of a recent buying spree:

How does that delicate blue glaze transform the strong red-orange clay into gray granite with a tracery of blue over it?

[haresfur]

How does that delicate blue glaze transform the strong red-orange clay into gray granite with a tracery of blue over it?

Grey is the colour of the reduced clay body. The red-orange on the foot is where the clay reoxidizes during cooling. If you've ever chipped the foot on a cup, you've probably seen the clay is grey, too. After the glaze melts it seals over the clay and keeps it from reoxidizing. So the blue isn't so delicate - it forms a pretty tough shell.

I don't really understand the reoxidation. You don't get the same beautiful toasty colour if you fire completely in pure oxidation. Guess I should read up on that.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Grey is the colour of the reduced clay body. The red-orange on the foot is where the clay reoxidizes during cooling. If you've ever chipped the foot on a cup, you've probably seen the clay is grey, too.

That makes perfect sense, thanks. I'll trust your explanation and hope I don't have a chance to confirm it through a close encounter of the breakage kind.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Got a couple of pieces whose shipment was delayed, and now have a full set of teawares from Petr Novak:

I brewed up the Zhejiang green tea from Norbu that I've been raving about in this shibo, and it was fantastic. I brewed it next in a tokoname kyusu (long used for sencha, but switched to a variety of green teas after the new kyusu arrived), and wasn't quite as impressed--still a very good tea, but not a transcendent experience. Finished the sample with another infusion in the shibo again, and it was again fantastic. The iron-rich clay does seem to sweeten and enhance the tea brewed in it quite dramatically.

Also got a couple of nice little (4-5 oz size) teacups from Michael Coffee (shyrabbit on etsy)

I manage to enjoy my teas even when I have to drink them from a plastic thermos bottle-cap, but they're definitely more fun when brewed and sipped from things like this.

[Hassouni]

Got my new kyusu in from ryu-mei.com, who offer anything from the Tokoname catalog direct from Japan, so here it is, a 320 cc plain unglazed kyusu with sasame.

Seems made well, very understated and nice. The pour is very smooth, as is the resulting tea - my Ito En ichibantsumi sencha has zero bitterness and only barely detectable astringency after the inaugural steeping. Very pleased!

I know it's only 320ml but this thing is TINY! Here it is next to my phone:

Filled to the top, its enough to fill a mug to the lip, but I hear the kyusu experts here recommend not filling the teapot up all the way. Why is that?

Also, I got this to use with sencha, and it's unglazed. Any other teas I can use with it without offsetting the flavors, or should I just stick to sencha?

Edited December 3, 2011 by Hassouni (log)

[Wholemeal Crank]

That's a lovely kyusu. If you avoid filling it entirely to the top, it's easier to pour out the tea without having the spout clog up and the pour slow as quickly (despite the sasame filter, slow pour still happens).

I occasionally use my unglazed kyusus for other green teas, but would avoid anything farther off in flavor profile than straightforward greens or mellow white teas (silver needle but not Bai Mu Dan), certainly no oolongs, puerhs, black teas.

[Richard Kilgore]

Very nice Tokonome, Hassouni. Are you sure it's unglazed? The glossy surface reflections made me ask.

[Richard Kilgore]

Very nice Tokonome, Hassouni. Are you sure it's unglazed? The glossy surface reflections made me ask.

[Hassouni]

Very nice Tokonome, Hassouni. Are you sure it's unglazed? The glossy surface reflections made me ask.

If you're referring to the inside of the pot, it's glossy because I had just rinsed it out to remove any packing/workshop dust, etc. When dry it has a somewhat matte appearance - not rough, but definitely not shiny.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Some new teawares acquired over the past six months or so....

a summer galaxy glaze guinomi by Tetsuako Nakao

a Michael Coffee yunomi with black tenmoku and nuka glaze

I inherited this 'yixing' set with a giant (600mL!) dragon teapot

I found it among my father's belongings while cleaning out the clutter in his study.

the dragon theme is pretty cool.

And a 'steel glaze' guinomi by Toshiyuki Suzuki

[Hassouni]

the Michael Coffee yunomi with black tenmoku and nuka glaze is superb

[Wholemeal Crank]

I had already bought too much teaware recently, and was trying not to buy more when I saw that piece. I think I waited 3 or 4 days, half hoping someone else would buy it, but then justified the purchase by getting a second one as the perfect gift for a tea friend who did some petsitting for me. The deep blue on black is so rich and very hard to capture in a photo, because of the gloss of the glaze.

(BTW, he's got a fantastic larger bowl with the Tenmoku/Nuka combination on his Etsy site here that I have been trying not to buy for several months now.)

Edited January 9, 2012 by Wholemeal Crank (log)

[threestars]

I like Kyushu! It looks really cute and design and material looks really great.

[goodkidwe]

I just found this thread and loved looking at all the tea items! Such lovely things! The appliances are amazing! Inever knew such things existed!! Thank you all!! I also got inspired...

Tea for one

Separated:

Small tea cup from waaaay back when!!

Hungarian set

More for coffee

well known...

Lovely tea cups and coffee cups. I love all of them!

[huiray]

On another thread I mentioned the several old goi3 wun2 (gaiwan) and teacups I had and was asked to post pictures of them.  I had forgotten about that until just the other day, when thinking about other things.  :-)

 

Well, here's one of those goi3 wun2.  Colored enamels & black ink; on white porcelain, glazed.  Dynastic seal mark in red.

 

 

Please ask if you would like more info about this one.

Edited October 23, 2014 by huiray (log)

[ashlee1993]

Those cups of tea are so fabulous. Although the design is simple but it makes the delicateness for the whole tee cup. Anyway, could you tell me where can I buy those precious?

[huiray]

Those cups of tea are so fabulous. Although the design is simple but it makes the delicateness for the whole tee cup. Anyway, could you tell me where can I buy those precious?

 

Are you asking me or asking the posters in general on this thread?

[Naftal]

huiray- This is so very amazing! This is a wonderful piece. How old is it? How did you get it? I am sure there is a fascinating story here!!! 

Edited October 25, 2014 by Naftal (log)

[huiray]

Naftal,

 

I picked this up (together with another goi3 wun2) from a curio shop in Kuala Lumpur more than 2 decades ago and brought it back to the States with me.  The red mark is a variant of the mark of T'ung Chih (1862-1873; late Ch'ing Dynasty) in seal form.  In script it would be 大清同治年製. I have never had it formally verified but I am inclined to believe that the piece is also probably of the period - but I don't know for sure.

 

The cup lid carries the first part of a poem from the T'ang Dynasty era which may or may not be by the poet Du Mu; the bowl carries the second part:

清明時節雨紛紛，路上行人欲斷魂。

借問酒家何處有？牧童遙指杏花村。

Here is a Google translation and commentary (from a poetry-appreciation website) of the poem.  Some others here, here, and here.  The scenes painted on the lid and bowl are evocative of the poem's context.

Edited October 26, 2014 by huiray (log)

[Naftal]

huiray- Thanks for the information. It is always interesting to find a poem in the 7 character/line format. I am so used to seeing them in the 5 character/line style. Also, the saucer was very interesting, I have never seen one of this design. Is the space in the middle typical of this period? We would love to see any other goi3 wun2 you may have