Bizen ware Ichiro Mori studio Goma (Sesame) Teapot C 180ml

Bizen ware sesame teapot by Ichiro Mori studio. It is made in the shape of a horizontal pot, a standard Chinese teapot, and has just the right capacity for brewing Chinese or Taiwanese tea.

Mori-san majored in sculpture, and has excellent sculptural ability, producing both beautiful and powerful shapes. While based on tradition, he is exloring new styles of Bizen ware.

(Profile of Ichiro Mori)

He was born in 1981 in the Mori family, a family of Bizen ware potters.

2008Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Fine Arts, Department of Sculpture

2009year Drift Wood Sculpture Festival (Taipei/Taiwan)

2011Year Engraving 575/(Taipei/Taiwan)

2015year THE POWER OF BIZEN (Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation,Kigbeare studio＆gallery/UK)

Bizen ware is pottery that is expressed through earth and fire. It is said that clay preparation accounts for more than half of the work involved in Bizen ware, making the clay an extremely important step.

Bizen has clay of various colors and properties,potterHe searches for the best clay for his work.The clay of Bizen is coarse-grained, making it difficult to create complex shapes like teapots. Therefore, Bizen ware tea utensils are limited to matcha bowls and bubble bottles.There are many teapots, but very few teapots.

Bizen clay contains iron. According to a study on Bizen ware kiln changes (3rd Okayama Studies Symposium, by Yamaguchi Kazuhiro, Okayama University of Science), the iron content of Bizen clay is approximately 2-3%.

This iron binds with tannin, the bitter component of tea. Therefore, tea brewed in a teapot made from Bizen clay has a smoother taste and less bitterness.

I once held a tasting event in Hong Kong using Bizen ware teapots. The tasting was a big success, with many participants saying that brewing Pu-erh mature tea made the tea taste particularly smooth. Since taste perception varies from person to person, it's difficult to generalize, but I do feel that it does produce a smooth taste.

Tokonamered clayI feel that Bizen teapots make the tea taste smoother than traditional teapots.red clayThe iron content of Tokoname clay is about 5-6%, while that of Bizen clay is about 2-3%.red clayThis should be more likely to bind to tannins.

The reason why tea brewed in a Bizen ware teapot tastes smoother is thought to be because Bizen clay has large particles, and even after firing there are voids in the clay, which allow it to absorb more astringency. In other words, it is the size of the clay particles and the amount of iron that affect the taste of tea. The larger the particles of Bizen clay, the greater the effect.

Bizen ware is not painted on the pottery, but rather the patterns are created by the flow of the flames inside the kiln and the techniques used. The way the flame hits the pot varies depending on where it is placed, such as near the entrance to the kiln, on a high spot, or near a corner. Each piece is made by relying on the natural flames, and no two pieces are ever the same.

"Goma" is a traditional Bizen ware technique characterized by brown and green patterns. This teapot is a type of "goma" and was fired using a technique called "kase goma." When ash floating in a wood-fired kiln falls on the pottery and remains without completely dissolving, it is called "kase goma."

This pale brown teapot has a tranquil atmosphere and allows you to feel the warmth of Bizen clay. Looking at the surface of the teapot body, you can see many small, sparkling dots created by the reaction between wood ash and Bizen clay. It has a delicate shine, similar to the mineral pigments used in Japanese painting.

While the entire teapot is pale brown, the handle is dark brown. This is because the ash on the handle melted at high temperature and became a natural glaze. Bizen ware teapots have different expressions depending on the angle from which you view them. This teapot is a traditional Chinese teapot called a horizontal pot, rendered using Bizen clay, and is a fusion of Chinese tea culture and the nature of Bizen.

Potter: ICHIRO MORI studio

https://moriichiro.com/

Firing: wood-fired kiln

Size: Total length 12.5cm (including handle and opening), body diameter 8cm, height 8cm

Capacity: 180ml full, 140ml practical

Weight: Approx. 148g

Packaging: Paper box

Note: There is a hole at the top of the lid knob. Because these are handmade, each piece is unique.

Because the clay particles are coarse, it is difficult to stop the hot water from flowing even when you press down on the hole in the top of the lid. When pouring water, do not tilt the teapot upright, but pour slowly to ensure a smooth flow.

＊Bizen ware

Bizen ware is pottery made in Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture. Production of Bizen ware began around the end of the Heian period, about 800 years ago.1200～1300Bizen ware is fired at high temperatures of 100°C and is sturdy, so initially many pots and jars were made. The unique texture of the clay was popular with tea masters, and during the Muromachi period(Gregorian calendar1338Year~)Since then, a lot of pottery has been produced for the tea ceremony.

The distinctive feature of Bizen ware is that the clay is not glazed, but fired as is, and the beautiful patterns that make the most of the natural character of the clay. Bizen ware is mainly fired in a wood-fired kiln, mainly fueled by pine wood, and the pottery is fired for about two weeks.

There are two types of clay: rice field clay, which is mainly collected from rice paddies, and mountain clay, which is collected from mountains. The beautiful patterns that are unique to Bizen ware are created with clay that is rich in iron, and the composition of the claypotterEach piece has its own earthy flavor.

When Bizen ware gets wet, its color becomes lighter, and the color changes with prolonged use. This change is a great attraction, so you can enjoy watching the pot develop over time.