Maybe! I thought it might be an intentional drip of glaze given how localized it is and given its location on the interior. I interpreted as a drop made to echo the vertical brown stripes on the exterior. But I am not 100% sure.
Ode to the Kyusu
Yes, it sure looks intentional, pretty amazing really, took some skill to get it right.
I have been working on deciphering the chop from this Kyusu with not much success. So far, I have found a few similar style ones on Asian auction sites with this name: 梅原光山. Anyone recognizes this chop or know who made this Kyusu? The carving seems quite good.
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- pizzapotamus
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DailyTX wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2023 10:11 pmI have been working on deciphering the chop from this Kyusu with not much success. So far, I have found a few similar style ones on Asian auction sites with this name: 梅原光山. Anyone recognizes this chop or know who made this Kyusu? The carving seems quite good.
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This tweet indicates it could well be the father of Gyokudo and Munehiro or possibly even one of the brothers as it implies they may have used 光山 briefly as a kiln name but I'm still going with the father.
The picture with the tweet is works by Gyokudo but one can certainly see a resemblance. I can't find any other direct info about the father but looking up the sons indicates 光山 would be read Kouzan http://www.tokoname.or.jp/teapot/maker_ ... /munehiro/
@pizzapotamus thank you for looking into this kyusu. I too guess it could be made by the father. The pot seems unused, and the clay texture looks less glossy in comparison to the pair of pots from the tweet.
Pot by Ayano Hitotsumatsu 一ツ松綾乃
Maybe somewhat trendy? At least featured here and there. Didn't find any English reviews, so here's my 2c.
Most importantly: it's not glazed inside (except for the inside of the lid, which features author's sig underglaze, and some round the filter). It's just smooth, so the pics trick you. Pour is fast with no dribble for this one, a thick, laminar stream. Vertically, the spout ends a bit below the rim, so if you overfill the pot with just a few millimeters to spare, closing the lid causes some overflow from the spout--just a minor gripe, and easily avoided, if you fill to 1cm below the rim (or maybe not so easily, if your habit is to almost-fill). The lid is pretty snug. The weird lid knob looks pretty nice in person and is easy to handle. The filter is very nice. A charming & functional pot, judging from one session, at least. Wasn't really looking for one without inner glaze, but I don't think I'll give it away.
Maybe somewhat trendy? At least featured here and there. Didn't find any English reviews, so here's my 2c.
Most importantly: it's not glazed inside (except for the inside of the lid, which features author's sig underglaze, and some round the filter). It's just smooth, so the pics trick you. Pour is fast with no dribble for this one, a thick, laminar stream. Vertically, the spout ends a bit below the rim, so if you overfill the pot with just a few millimeters to spare, closing the lid causes some overflow from the spout--just a minor gripe, and easily avoided, if you fill to 1cm below the rim (or maybe not so easily, if your habit is to almost-fill). The lid is pretty snug. The weird lid knob looks pretty nice in person and is easy to handle. The filter is very nice. A charming & functional pot, judging from one session, at least. Wasn't really looking for one without inner glaze, but I don't think I'll give it away.
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Apropos of discussion in another topic about the ergonomics of teapot design… I absolutely love the perky little knob on the lid, which reminds me of the tail on a deer or rabbit. I have a favorite pot by Korean potter Seong-Il with that same sort of handle and it is very easy to use. I never burn my fingers on it.
yours is very cute, but it's a bummer about the spout leak issue. I don't do very well when I am trying to underfill a pot to use with a cup that's too small to hold the fully filled pot's worth of tea. But if you always have to do that with that particular pot, maybe you will get used to it much faster than I would!
yours is very cute, but it's a bummer about the spout leak issue. I don't do very well when I am trying to underfill a pot to use with a cup that's too small to hold the fully filled pot's worth of tea. But if you always have to do that with that particular pot, maybe you will get used to it much faster than I would!
Ito Gafu has recently been taking another step on the clay journey. Several years ago he was known for processing his own red clay through elutriation and making various teapots with that. In the past couple of years he's been mining clays from (nearby) tea fields, processing them and then using that for his works. I believe the whole process takes a couple of years. Last month I happened to have three pots from him: one made from red clay, one from Shirakawa in Uji from a rice field turned tea field and one from Morokozawa in Shizuoka from nearby Mr. Sato's golden leaf tea plantation.
I've seen plenty of discussion online about this and that clay, pondering what is better or not. At the end of the day, I don't think there is a right answer to this question, but I do like the idea of using clays from nearby tea fields.
I've seen plenty of discussion online about this and that clay, pondering what is better or not. At the end of the day, I don't think there is a right answer to this question, but I do like the idea of using clays from nearby tea fields.
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