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Henan purple clay and other non-yixing zisha
Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2024 2:02 pm
by .m.
I've come over this blog post about zisha pots from Henan in the 80s, about which I hear now the first time.
Speaking of purple sand, most people will think of Yixing. But other areas in China, such as Meizhou in Guangdong, Zibo in Shandong, Jingdezhen in Jiangxi, Henan and other places, also have purple sand mineral sources. However, when it comes to mineral composition and structure, they cannot be compared with Yixing purple sand.
Although the craftsmanship on teapots seem nowhere near that of Yixing, making at least some of them easy to distinguish or dismiss, their pot planters actually look fairly similar to some of those from Yixing factories.
It makes me wonder about some pots I've seen in the past...
https://huctan.blogspot.com/2022/09/blog-post_16.html
Re: Henan purple clay and other non-yixing zisha
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2024 2:33 pm
by DailyTX
Interesting article and thank you for sharing photos of the catalogue. While I know zisha exist outside of Yixing, this is the first time I saw pictures of published catalogue. Here is a pot which I suspect it was produced in Hunan as it has a Hunan TongGuan chop and Hunan also has zisha. The clay texture seems less diverse in comparison to it's Yixing relative.
Re: Henan purple clay and other non-yixing zisha
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2024 3:33 pm
by .m.
Oh wow, nice pot! Great to see one. Might be a bit of a rarity. The chop aside, I would think it was yixing. They must have brought in some craftsmen from yixing.
Re: Henan purple clay and other non-yixing zisha
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2024 5:01 pm
by DailyTX
.m. wrote: ↑Thu Mar 21, 2024 3:33 pm
Oh wow, nice pot! Great to see one. Might be a bit of a rarity. The chop aside, I would think it was yixing. They must have brought in some craftsmen from yixing.
I think zisha from other areas other than yixing maybe more common in the market because it cost less. Often we see a term Benshan, which means zisha from Yixing. Anything that’s not Benshan can be assume from other areas outside. Yixing did import zisha from other areas to make Yixing pots.
Re: Henan purple clay and other non-yixing zisha
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2024 10:35 pm
by steanze
DailyTX wrote: ↑Thu Mar 21, 2024 5:01 pm
I think zisha from other areas other than yixing maybe more common in the market because it cost less. Often we see a term Benshan, which means zisha from Yixing. Anything that’s not Benshan can be assume from other areas outside. Yixing did import zisha from other areas to make Yixing pots.
Benshan means zisha from the original mountain, which would mean Huanglongshan. However, there are other mines that are not in Huanglongshan but are still in the area of Yixing. "Zisha from Yixing" is broader than benshan (for example the traditional zhuni mine is in Zhaozhuang which is not Huanglongshan, therefore it is not benshan)... clay can be not from benshan and still be zisha from Yixing.
Re: Henan purple clay and other non-yixing zisha
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2024 4:43 am
by LeoFox
Re: Henan purple clay and other non-yixing zisha
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2024 10:08 am
by steanze
Yes, that's a very useful thread...
This blog post by Youzi is excellent:
https://www.teapotandtea.com/the-histor ... of-yixing/
Huang long shan (that is, "benshan") is only one of the historical mines
Re: Henan purple clay and other non-yixing zisha
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2024 3:48 pm
by DailyTX
steanze wrote: ↑Thu Mar 21, 2024 10:35 pm
DailyTX wrote: ↑Thu Mar 21, 2024 5:01 pm
I think zisha from other areas other than yixing maybe more common in the market because it cost less. Often we see a term Benshan, which means zisha from Yixing. Anything that’s not Benshan can be assume from other areas outside. Yixing did import zisha from other areas to make Yixing pots.
Benshan means zisha from the original mountain, which would mean Huanglongshan. However, there are other mines that are not in Huanglongshan but are still in the area of Yixing. "Zisha from Yixing" is broader than benshan (for example the traditional zhuni mine is in Zhaozhuang which is not Huanglongshan, therefore it is not benshan)... clay can be not from benshan and still be zisha from Yixing.
