Ode to the Kyusu

[Bok]

Very nice story and kyusus! Sounds like a wonderful memory

[Zenshin]

Sounds like you had the time of your life over there @pizzapotamus! How's the new pot performing ?
With my recent surge in TAD I'm pretty jelly that you got to go to Tokoname. Aichi is such a nice prefecture as well
If anybody goes to Japan and needs a translator let me know, I'd take payment in Kyusu and tea haha

[debunix]

A marvelous tea adventure! Wee bit jealous, just a wee bit.

[Victoria]

Yamada Sou 180ml mayake kyusu. I put it back in box when reorganizing and just found it _ Looking forward to using it with roasted oolong. Anyone else that has a Sou wood fired kyusu, how are you pairing it?

Yamada Sou Mayake kyusu 180ml DSC00129_.jpg (402.46 KiB) Viewed 9730 times

[Bok]

@Victoria wow! That piece is beautiful! Something else from the usual smurfs

[AozoraE]

^^Very nice Victoria.
Really wanted one of those mayake+aou combo pots when he first made them. Want to trade?
I think I prefer to those even to his complelty blue pots

[Victoria]

^^Very nice Victoria.
Really wanted one of those mayake+aou combo pots when he first made them. Want to trade?
I think I prefer to those even to his complelty blue pots

Lol, you’ll need to entice me with photos of your kyusu posted here

[AozoraE]

^^Very nice Victoria.
Really wanted one of those mayake+aou combo pots when he first made them. Want to trade?
I think I prefer to those even to his complelty blue pots

Lol, you’ll need to entice me with photos of your kyusu posted here

I'm not sure If my pot can match yours on that front, but I suppose I can try





This one's hard to get really good shots of because of the shine. I think he must of put a layer of clear glaze on it before firing because this is easily the shiniest pot I've ever owned

[Bok]

I think he must of put a layer of clear glaze on it before firing because this is easily the shiniest pot I've ever owned

Almost 100% certain that there is no glaze.

The shiny surface is the result of the wood firing process. The pot surface and ash deposits, expand and shrink, almost liquify a few times over the firing period, which can lead to glossy metallic effects like yours. Explains why this kind of pot is usually more behaving like a glazed one. Quite common in Taiwanese wood fired pots as well.

Victorias above on the other hand does have some glazing splashed over it (the blue-ish parts).

[Bok]

Anyone else that has a Sou wood fired kyusu, how are you pairing it?

Leaving aside other factors like wall thickness and shape, many good quality teas should do well in a wood-fired teapot. The firing process seals the surface, so muting is low to non-existent. In the past I did use those kinds a lot for Gaoshan, Dancong, Yancha.

[AozoraE]

Reading that makes me really want to understand more about wood firing. I own a few other woods pots aside from the Sou I uploaded, but that's the only one that seems to have that metallic shine to it. I suppose there's a way to coax that out from the kiln? I have a pot that I know that has been fired a least twice for about a week, but yet it doesn't have that kind of metallic finish to it all. The finish is mostly just ash and a lot of natural glaze

[Bok]

Reading that makes me really want to understand more about wood firing. I own a few other woods pots aside from the Sou I uploaded, but that's the only one that seems to have that metallic shine to it. I suppose there's a way to coax that out from the kiln? I have a pot that I know that has been fired a least twice for about a week, but yet it doesn't have that kind of metallic finish to it all. The finish is mostly just ash and a lot of natural glaze

Protective cases.

Yixing in the old days has also all been wood firing, hence they had to put all pots in such cases, otherwise you would have had similar effects. Rarely, one can come across antique Yixing which have not been put in such cases. I had one of them, it is quite something.

Nowadays still used if one wants to get wood fired glazes, yet without the randomness.

[AozoraE]

...And you got rid of something I'm assuming is pretty rare for what reason?
Do you have any pictures still of it that you could post? I'd be interested in seeing a glaze covered shuiping(or more likely zhunde?)
Because it wasn't placed in a sagger, wouldn't a pot like that essentially have a similar effect on tea that a zhuni pot?(just a thought)

[Bok]

...And you got rid of something I'm assuming is pretty rare for what reason?
Do you have any pictures still of it that you could post? I'd be interested in seeing a glaze covered shuiping(or more likely zhunde?)
Because it wasn't placed in a sagger, wouldn't a pot like that essentially have a similar effect on tea that a zhuni pot?(just a thought)

I didn’t really like it, but couldn’t pass on the opportunity. Rare yes, but still common enough. And the whole spout had been fixed as it must have been broken at some point in history. It was definitely not like a Zhuni, inside clay colour was still visible and too thick walled to be similar in behaviour. But theoretically it could have been.

[debunix]

I've so far only used this Yamada Sou for Japanese greens; it's a quite different appearing white clay