Yixing

[Dogen]

Hello!

I am new in this Forum. I just want your opinion regarding this teapot from Tea-Masters. I am not sure if this is hongni, or zhuni. Thank you! I am considering, too, buying from Muds And Leaves.

https://www.tea-masters.com/en/yixing-t ... eapot.html

Neither. That pot is Zini, he uses the more vague term Zisha, which might refer to all Yixing clay in general, or to a specific kind of Zini. In any case it is Zini.

I’d go for this vintage kind, rather than a modern one, but that’s me.

You're right. From what I have observed in his site, he only uses the word zisha on so many of his pots. Well, the exception is the hongni, and the occasional duanni. Thanks a lot!

[Repulsive_Stomach]

Having a some Gentlemen's time with the Gentlemen. Simplicity with deep rooted appreciation.

Cheers!!

speaking of gentleman. have gotten one myself. i bathed it in bleach since it was very dirty and smelly (you see the result at the bottom of the pictures).
volume: 270ml
it is inscribed with a poem from mao: 独有英雄驱虎豹，更无豪杰怕熊罴 "Only heroes can quell tigers and leopards - And wild bears never daunt the brave."
aside from the questionable inscription. can someone tell me something about this pot? i understand it is a very common pot that probably is remade often.

cheers!

[Repulsive_Stomach]

ah apparently i forgot to link the pictures: https://imgur.com/a/v0jzXL8

[Dogen]

What do you guys think of this channel? Looks like the videos is informative with regard to zhuni, and hongni clays.

[Youzi]

What do you guys think of this channel? Looks like the videos is informative with regard to zhuni, and hongni clays.

He's using The Book as a source for the videos. Can't go wrong with that. Almost everything is correct in that.

Although I kinda don't like the "everyone is lying and trying to scam you, except me" narrative in the descriptions.

Also porosity has nothing to do with how water slides down the outside of the teapot, but ofc. The quotes from the book and references are all correct.

Further more, it seems it's a precursor to a new shopify store selling zisha pots.

I also don't agree with the last video about distinguishing between the base ores just by the look of the finished pot. Many of the things he said would be generally correct, but also easy to replicate and fake, by clay mixing and sifting the ore, making it more smooth, increasing firing temp and adding iron oxide to make it more red / darker red, etc.

[Baisao]

I thought I would submit this tiaosha zini teapot to the discussion.

I bought it for $60 from a Taiwanese friend in the early to mid 2000s. He's one of the friends I frequently had tea with until I moved too far away for a casual drive. He acquired it in the 1990s in Taipei.

What is unusual to me is how well if performs despite being crudely formed. The underside of the rim is carved significantly and there are many tool marks inside. It has yellow specs that I assume are bits of kaolin. The zini also looks different from the F1 zini I regularly see.

This pot performed terribly for me when I first began making tea. At the time it seemed that 80ml was too small and it clogged half the time. I had a lot to lean! It has been on my shelf collecting dust, ignored for many years.

I dusted it off recently on a whim and was surprised to find that it wasn't the pot but me. It now performs amazingly well and is a joy to use.

The clay becomes darker when heated and has developed a luster more quickly than the F1 zini pots in my collection.

I haven't seen this seal before, either.

Some of the photos are blown out to allow the camera sensor to gather details inside the pot.

Profile

7C7A4AF2-BA0B-415B-857E-C4FE8692A176.jpeg (147.6 KiB) Viewed 6810 times

Top

EE7E2A02-7721-46F9-B53A-9314B36B7C20.jpeg (170.05 KiB) Viewed 6810 times

Bottom

B761CE81-4E07-4B5A-B806-C97218484B31.jpeg (316.22 KiB) Viewed 6810 times

Lid top

7909DE90-6CE8-4A6A-9BDC-12434AC9CF60.jpeg (145.55 KiB) Viewed 6810 times

Lid inside

4C9CDC01-65BC-4E06-AFDE-0E6B9A0BD229.jpeg (279.57 KiB) Viewed 6810 times

Inside spout

415B4774-5579-4D4B-B6EB-0217CEAD7063.jpeg (219.41 KiB) Viewed 6810 times

Inside rear tool marks

8A23DD11-9BDC-4112-8045-E58B6FD22095.jpeg (210.7 KiB) Viewed 6810 times

[Baisao]

Here are some more detailed photos taken after recent use:

[Bok]

@Baisao I’ve said it before, this pot is definitely more than what you thought it is… also confirmed by its brewing behaviour and how it gathers patina. Sometimes we just get lucky(without even knowing it).

[Balthazar]

@Baisao I like the pot, despite (or perhaps even partly because of) the "crude" aspects.

The yellow specs should be duanni, no? Or is it usually pure kaolin that is used to create those yellow specks?

Here's a laser label period pot (hongni) with similar specks (but more sparsely populated):

DSC_5701.jpg (162.69 KiB) Viewed 6728 times

[Baisao]

@Balthazar - I think you are right. It must be duanni. It slipped my mind. That’s a cute pot!

[wave_code]

nice one @Baisao. When it is done well I really like when pots have this tiaosha effect, and it has a really nice roughness to its overall making- just the right amount I think. The first photos make it look really dark - almost made me wonder could it be that this was wood fired? I feel like a lot of wood fire yixing I see new now really tries to accentuate that overall type of appearance with coloring from the fire and ash, while older pots or higher grade ones I've seen look more like this- on the darker side with a slight patine like flat shine to them.

[Bok]

The first photos make it look really dark - almost made me wonder could it be that this was wood fired? I feel like a lot of wood fire yixing I see new now really tries to accentuate that overall type of appearance with coloring from the fire and ash, while older pots or higher grade ones I've seen look more like this- on the darker side with a slight patine like flat shine to them.

It’s almost sure that this was fired in a dragon kiln… so woodfired by nature

[wave_code]

@Bok cool, thanks. glad I'm starting to develop an eye for this sort of thing

[Bok]

Bok cool, thanks. glad I'm starting to develop an eye for this sort of thing

I think the firing with wood or not, has not so much effect on the colour, unless it’s not in a protective case and you get “kiss of the flame”. It’s probably the clay that has been processed differently back then and has more influence on that. But I might be wrong about that.

[Chadrinkincat]

@Baisao

Nice looking pot. Looks like a possible copy a 82 series F1. This seal was used on these pots.

I’ve got an early 80’s Buddha’s hand pot with same seal.