++1 and buying too...
Hokujo Teaware
I do already!
I would say that next to a porcelain pot/gaiwan a Hokujo is probably your best and safest investment if you are after getting the most out of your teas.
I say safe, because of course you could go for a Yixing, but with a Hokujo you know the clay is always good and the has the same properties. Yixing is a guessing game and one is probably going to dump money worth a multitude of Hokujos, before you find a pot that has the same properties. And you might never do so.
So after repeated test-brewing all sorts of teas and also side-by-sides I come to a slightly divergent conclusion as to what others thought of tea pairing for Hokujo.
As it is apparently preferable to stick to one kind of tea for Hokujo clay, I will most likely go for Taiwan High mountain. The reason being that the difference in taste was the most obvious and also clearly better than other kinds of pot.
Other teas like roasted in different intensity and black tea, while not being inferior at all, had not seen a clear improvement either. A tiny weeny bit different, but I would say not enough to justify dedicating it to those teas exclusively. I just seem to like the effect Hokujo has on greener oolong more.
On the other hand my other pots do not as clearly improve a high mountain as a Hokujo does.
With the exception of thin walled, wood fired Taiwanese pots which do also improve high mountain, albeit in a different way.
As it is apparently preferable to stick to one kind of tea for Hokujo clay, I will most likely go for Taiwan High mountain. The reason being that the difference in taste was the most obvious and also clearly better than other kinds of pot.
Other teas like roasted in different intensity and black tea, while not being inferior at all, had not seen a clear improvement either. A tiny weeny bit different, but I would say not enough to justify dedicating it to those teas exclusively. I just seem to like the effect Hokujo has on greener oolong more.
On the other hand my other pots do not as clearly improve a high mountain as a Hokujo does.
With the exception of thin walled, wood fired Taiwanese pots which do also improve high mountain, albeit in a different way.
Have you tried it with sencha?Bok wrote: ↑Mon Aug 20, 2018 8:25 amSo after repeated test-brewing all sorts of teas and also side-by-sides I come to a slightly divergent conclusion as to what others thought of tea pairing for Hokujo.
As it is apparently preferable to stick to one kind of tea for Hokujo clay, I will most likely go for Taiwan High mountain. The reason being that the difference in taste was the most obvious and also clearly better than other kinds of pot.
Other teas like roasted in different intensity and black tea, while not being inferior at all, had not seen a clear improvement either. A tiny weeny bit different, but I would say not enough to justify dedicating it to those teas exclusively. I just seem to like the effect Hokujo has on greener oolong more.
On the other hand my other pots do not as clearly improve a high mountain as a Hokujo does.
With the exception of thin walled, wood fired Taiwanese pots which do also improve high mountain, albeit in a different way.
i wanted to share a couple videos featuring this artist.
look at him go. it's mesmerizing.
i thought there was at least one more video on youtube about him but can't find it now. please share if you can find more
look at him go. it's mesmerizing.
i thought there was at least one more video on youtube about him but can't find it now. please share if you can find more
dunno, is any japanese teaware artist being hyped right now?
perhaps it's more like "shame kz's hyping has dried up". who will be our new hype man?
perhaps it's more like "shame kz's hyping has dried up". who will be our new hype man?
good one!
The Hokujo hype did even make it until Beijing including CHY tea in the backpack
From my side in terms of Japanese clay, worth a hype would only be the Kobiwako clay, as it really makes a big obvious difference with a lot of teas. The one most other clays make are subtle/barely noticeable/only noticeable after a while of seasoning etc.
If Instagram is anything to go by, no Japanese artist seems to jump out in particular. Old hands like the Yamadas do not really count, they are classics and always will be.
More noticeable is that a new generation of experimental Chinese potters is coming out of the heavy shadows of Yixings dominance, with some interesting - heavily Japanese inspired if I dare say so - wabisabi-like creations.
Hilarious. Had me rolling in laughter. Always nice to have a pollinator sprinkling tea magic around the community. KyaraZen’s love of Hokujo ware was infectious, and rightly so. His pieces are masterfully made, beautiful proportioned and a pleasure to use. Most days I’m using one of his kyusu for either roasted oolong or sencha. They get so much use, they are like my army of work horses.
We forgot to mention another teaware pollinator @Chip
. He has inspired many collections, over many years, in this community. He also has quite a large Hokujo collection himself.I think Instagram will be a blip in history. Japanese artists have been around for centuries. Collectors and everyday users have their favorites, region by region in Japan, some have reached National Treasure status (to preserve a traditional craft) while many other exemplary craftsmen like Yohei Konishi, and his disciple Taisuke Shiraiwa, produce incredible work that is highly collectible.Bok wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2019 9:18 am......
If Instagram is anything to go by, no Japanese artist seems to jump out in particular. Old hands like the Yamadas do not really count, they are classics and always will be.
More noticeable is that a new generation of experimental Chinese potters is coming out of the heavy shadows of Yixings dominance, with some interesting - heavily Japanese inspired if I dare say so - wabisabi-like creations.
@Bok, maybe in another thread you can share these new Chinese potters that you consider more noticeable.
Agreed that the pottery itself will survive digital fads. Also agree on the greatness of those potters mentioned. A hype they will still not become, simply by being above the threshold that most tea aficionados are willing to pay for tea ware.
The magic number seems to be 500$, anything above is for the hardcore community, or the tea ware/art collectors that are not into tea, it seems (talking Western market here).
I think that was the key as to why Hokujo was so popular: Singular clay with great properties, great workmanship and a very reasonable price. On the other hand, Japanese workmanship is rarely bad or even mediocre, so Hokujo is not standing out that much in that department.
While I do really like Konishi Yoheis work, the material in itself is not a big enough improvement or stand-alone that I would consider the considerable price. Most wood-fired tea ware performs very similar, be it Japanese, Taiwanese or other.
Gotta look up the names of those new Chinese potters, I have just been loosely following their works and their spread among various tea houses. Also not to confuse noticeable, with notable. My meaning is that I suddenly see them on various sources, as to how good they are to use, I have no idea.
Edit: new topic created for above mentioned potters: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1075
This beauty was waiting for me in the office today. It is a Hokujo’s 75ml backhanded pot I picked from Toru. I decided to buy it because of two reasons. One is the looks as I really like the shape of the pot and I always wanted to have a smaller Hokujo pot. Two is that Toru told me he probably won’t be able to stock backhanded pots again and that this was the last one he kept in the actual shop. First impression? God it is tiny 
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