This is a white seaweed pattern teapot by Jinshu Touen. It features a long, vertical shape and a pattern made using the seaweed pattern technique. It has just the right volume for brewing Chinese or Taiwanese tea. It comes in a gift package that combines Echizen lacquerware and a furoshiki wrapping cloth.
Mr. Ito of Jinshu Touen is a Tokoname ware craftsman who has been making tea utensils for about 50 years. In addition to making tea utensils, he drinks Chinese and Taiwanese tea on a daily basis and has a deep knowledge of tea. Mr. Ito is a modern master craftsman of teapots, highly regarded not only in Japan but also in China and Taiwan.
(Biography of Mr. Ito Seiji)
Born in Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture in 1949
Started making pottery in 1970
Traditional craftsman certified by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Tokoname ware general category)
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award for contributions to the traditional craft industry
Purveyor to the Imperial Household Agency
10th Chosan Award at the Chosan Award Ceramics Exhibition
Excellent Award at the 34th Banko Ceramic Competition 2020
Silver Award at the 1st World Ceramic Art Awards in Yixing, China (teapot competition)
Judges' Recommendation Award at the 6th Taiwan International Golden Ceramic Art Exhibition (teapot competition)
Numerous other awards
"Seaweed pattern" is a traditional Tokoname ware technique. It is said to have been developed by a Tokoname potter about 200 years ago. A seaweed called Koamamo, which is harvested in the Chita Peninsula, is attached to the surface of the teapot, and after firing, the minerals in the seaweed remain as a pattern.
The clay used for the teapot is light brown, and only the outside of the teapot is covered with a white glaze. The small minerals contained in the clay are visible as black spots. The countless small black spots and the linear patterns created by the seaweed look like constellations floating in the starry sky.
The teapots made by Mr. Ito are tea utensils that are extremely easy to use. The water flows smoothly and does not drip from the spout. The contact surface between the lid and the body is carefully polished, and the lid fits snugly into the body. The angle of the handle and the overall weight balance are designed in detail to make it easy to use.
The vertical lines on the side of the teapot are made from the bottom to the top with a spatula while the teapot is turned on a potter's wheel. It is important that the shoulder lines of the teapot are aligned. The teapot's shoulders are properly shaped to create a beautiful, well-defined shape.
The tea strainer inside the teapot is also made from the same Tokoname clay. The handmade mesh tea strainer is a traditional Tokoname ware technique. This is a wonderful teapot that combines precision craftsmanship and craft design. This teapot makes use of the texture of Tokoname clay and the sea of the Chita Peninsula, and allows you to feel the Japanese nature and tradition.
To store the teapot, we custom-ordered a lacquered box from Ootoshi lacquerware studio, a long-established Echizen lacquerware studio that has been in business for four generations. This lacquerware is made using real lacquer and the traditional process of Echizen lacquerware. Each piece is made by hand, so it takes three months to complete.
The surface of the lacquered box has a soft thickness and a modest luster that is unique to lacquer. The lacquered box is not only used to store teapots, but is also beautiful as a craft item and can be used as interior decoration for a room. Wrapping it in a traditional furoshiki cloth gives it a more Japanese and cultural look.
<Teapot> Made in Aichi Prefecture
Potter: Jinshu Touen (Tokoname ware)
Firing: Electric furnace
Size: Total length 12cm (including handle and spout), body diameter 7cm, height 8.5cm
Capacity: 150ml
Weight: Approximately 130g
Notes: Since these are handmade, each one is slightly different.
The seal between the lid and the body is good. You can see how to pour water in the youtube video below.
<Lacquer Box>
Maker: Ootoshi Lacquerware studio (Echizen Lacquerware)
Size: Length 10.8cm, Width 10.8cm, Height 11.5cm
Weight: 230-260g
Materials: Lid - Shina plywood / Body - Hiba wood / Paint - Natural lacquer
Notes: Handmade in Fukui Prefecture. All surfaces are coated by black lacquer.
<Furoshiki>
Materials: Green 100% cotton / Navy Silk and linen blend
Weight: Approximately 50g
Notes: You can choose the color of the furoshiki, green or navy.
*Tokoname ware
Tokoname ware is pottery made in Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture. Tokoname ware was the largest ceramics production area in Japan in the Middle Ages, and in addition to everyday items such as plates, bowls, and pots, many large pottery vessels such as jars and pots were made.
From the end of the Edo period (around 1858), red clay tea and sake utensils were also made. From the mid-Showa period (1962), the technology of electric furnaces for red clay was established. Tokoname teapots are fired at about 1100℃. Tokoname clay is a clay that is compatible with electric furnaces, which have a slightly lower temperature than wood-fired kilns, which reach high temperatures of 1200 to 1300℃.
The Tokoname region, which was at the bottom of a lake called Lake Tokai millions of years ago, has fine-grained clay such as red clay and black clay that is suitable for teapots. Tokoname has accumulated the techniques necessary for making teapots, such as high-level molding techniques and the technique of fitting the lid and body of the teapot together without any gaps, called "rubbing". It is the largest teapot production area in Japan.
* Echizen lacquerware
The origins of Echizen lacquerware date back about 1500 years. Before Emperor Keitai, the 26th Emperor of Japan, ascended to the throne, he ordered a lacquer craftsman from Echizen to repair his crown. The lacquer craftsman repaired the crown with lacquer and presented a lacquered bowl to the Emperor. The production of lacquerware was encouraged, and lacquerware production began in Katayama village, Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture.
Echizen has many lacquer trees, and it is said that at its peak it produced half of the lacquer in the country. When Nikko Toshogu Shrine in Tochigi Prefecture was being built, the Tokugawa Shogunate ordered lacquer craftsmen from Echizen to collect lacquer.
After the Muromachi period, lacquered bowls became widely used in Buddhist ceremonies. At the end of the Edo period, maki-e craftsmen were invited from Kyoto to introduce the technique of maki-e. The technique of chinkin was adopted from Wajima in Noto, and Echizen lacquerware became not only durable but also decorative.
From the middle of the Meiji period, trays and stacked boxes called "kakumono" (square objects) began to be made. The square bowls used for Zaru Soba and sushi geta (wooden clogs) are also square objects. Bowls are called "marumono" (round objects). Square objects require more steps in the lacquering process than round objects, and the lacquer tends to accumulate on the corners, making it difficult to achieve a smooth, beautiful lacquer surface. Ootoshi Lacquerware is a studio that has been in business for four generations and specializes in square objects.
