Yeah! With sake would be interesting. Let's brew sake-sencha - hahaha
Red Clay from the Gold Mines of Sado Island.
I wish this post could be pinned earlier:
The exemplar reference for sado island mumyoi should be the work of Miura Jozan (三浦常山).
Background from different sites (some overlapping info):
https://www.gyokudou.com/en/mumyoiyaki-en/
Pics:
This was initially misidentified as jozan ii
viewtopic.php?p=12520#p12520
From marshaln who also misidentified it:
http://www.marshaln.com/2011/02/yamada-jozan/
The exemplar reference for sado island mumyoi should be the work of Miura Jozan (三浦常山).
Background from different sites (some overlapping info):
https://www.gyokudou.com/en/mumyoiyaki-en/
https://hojotea.com/item_e/mumyoi.htmMumyoi ware originated from Raku ware (a type of handshaped pottery fired at low temperatures) which Jinbei Ito made, using the Mumyoi clay produced in the tunnels of the Sado gold mine, in 1819. Later, in 1857, Tomitaro Ito began making Honyaki ware (a type of pottery fired at higher temperatures) using the Mumyoi clay.
Jozan Miura, the first generation of potters, strived to make the traditionally fragile Mumyoi ware as strong as the "orange red clay" and "purple clay" ware produced at the kilns in Yixing, China. He eventually succeeded in making the same type of high-fire pottery.
https://japanese-ceramics.com/mumyoi-wa ... %E7%84%BC/In 1819, a man named Ito Kanbei (伊藤甚平) started to use the by-product of gold mine to make Raku Ware (楽焼). In 1857, the pottery in Sado Island was further developed by Ito Tomitaro (伊藤富太郎). At that time, red clay was partly used. It was mixed with other clays to get a specific character of Raku Ware.
The red clay produced in Sado Island is called Mumyoi Yaki (無名異焼). A revolution in Mumyoi Yaki was made by the first generation of Miura Jozan (三浦常山). He studied the art of Yi Xing tea pot, and developed his own baking method using mumyoi red clay. There was only a handful of artists who specializes in Mumyoi Yaki, nevertheless, they have managed to achieve acclaim and recognition by obtaining two National Living Treasure (人间国宝) awards; the first award in the history of Mumyoi Yaki was given to Miura Koheiji ( 三浦小平二）, son of the 3rd generation of Miura Jozan, while the second award was given to Ito Sekisui (伊藤赤水).
Afterward, Miura Jozan (1836-1903) realized that Mumyoi produced from the Sado Mines has a very similar nature to Yixing clay. He doubled his efforts to change the usual Mumyoi ware, which was quite fragile, into strong pottery similar to the pottery created from the Yixing kiln in China, and he completed a piece of strong, high-temperature Mumyoi pottery. Tea tools in Mumyoi ware became popular among people who like green tea because they made tea delicious like Chinese Yixing ware.
According to a record, the famous shogunate retainer, Katsu Kaishu bought tea tools from Miura Jozan.
Pics:
This was initially misidentified as jozan ii
viewtopic.php?p=12520#p12520
From marshaln who also misidentified it:
http://www.marshaln.com/2011/02/yamada-jozan/
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Last edited by LeoFox on Sat Apr 03, 2021 9:31 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Aahhhh.... ok. Can you help pin it for me?? Rushing off for Easter Service!!..
Blessed Easter!
I've been admiring these and the Kobiwako and Iga pots for years and think maybe its time to just dive in soon. @LeoFox I think the one you recently got sealed the deal for me- I have major envy for that pot. While the smooth pots also have their unique charm I especially love the look of the Nosaka and Joaka clay - the rough texture, color shape...
I see comments here and other places about the pour being bad though. Is it just that they tend to pour slow, or are the pots drippy and difficult? Is it a sizing/fill thing that like other kyusu they shouldn't be filled to capacity even for the rear handle pots? A lot of them are on the larger side but I'll write Hojo and see what might not be online. But if I want say 90-120ml usable capacity should I be sizing up for more like 150-190ml or larger? Then the question is whether to go for reduction fired or not, but both sound like they would be great choices for almost any tea and that chances are if you fall for one you eventually wind up with the other too.
Also anyone used any of the cups? I have a few clay cups but I find I only really tend to use my nixing ones since they are dense and smooth- closer in feel to porcelain so its a little more pleasant to drink out of. Nevertheless the mug shapes are really appealing in the rough texture.
I see comments here and other places about the pour being bad though. Is it just that they tend to pour slow, or are the pots drippy and difficult? Is it a sizing/fill thing that like other kyusu they shouldn't be filled to capacity even for the rear handle pots? A lot of them are on the larger side but I'll write Hojo and see what might not be online. But if I want say 90-120ml usable capacity should I be sizing up for more like 150-190ml or larger? Then the question is whether to go for reduction fired or not, but both sound like they would be great choices for almost any tea and that chances are if you fall for one you eventually wind up with the other too.
Also anyone used any of the cups? I have a few clay cups but I find I only really tend to use my nixing ones since they are dense and smooth- closer in feel to porcelain so its a little more pleasant to drink out of. Nevertheless the mug shapes are really appealing in the rough texture.
I have one kyusu by Tozo, and a few hohins. The kyusu is by far my most challenging pot to use. The lid is very drippy (rough and not ground) so that the spout cannot be angled down too much, and the spout pours slow, and at an angle such that I must be careful for the tea to end up where I want rather than on the far side of the target. It is not as bad when filling less in terms of the lid dripping, but the pour remains finicky even then. The hohins have leaky lids too, but they are easier to deal with because they pour fast, and the angle of the pour is obviously straight down. I can fill them pretty close to full (probably 80%-90%) without making too much of a mess. With both the kyusu and hohins, to avoid the last few drops from dripping down the side of the pot, I just touch the tip of the spout on a cloth right after pouring while keeping the spout pointing down.
My experience is that these pots have bad pour (slow and drippy from clogging) for medium and deep steamed sencha. But for those kinds of teas, filling halfway solves the issue. For larger, more intact leaves, there is no pour issue.wave_code wrote: ↑Sun Apr 04, 2021 6:29 amI've been admiring these and the Kobiwako and Iga pots for years and think maybe its time to just dive in soon. LeoFox I think the one you recently got sealed the deal for me- I have major envy for that pot. While the smooth pots also have their unique charm I especially love the look of the Nosaka and Joaka clay - the rough texture, color shape...
I see comments here and other places about the pour being bad though. Is it just that they tend to pour slow, or are the pots drippy and difficult? Is it a sizing/fill thing that like other kyusu they shouldn't be filled to capacity even for the rear handle pots? A lot of them are on the larger side but I'll write Hojo and see what might not be online. But if I want say 90-120ml usable capacity should I be sizing up for more like 150-190ml or larger? Then the question is whether to go for reduction fired or not, but both sound like they would be great choices for almost any tea and that chances are if you fall for one you eventually wind up with the other too.
Also anyone used any of the cups? I have a few clay cups but I find I only really tend to use my nixing ones since they are dense and smooth- closer in feel to porcelain so its a little more pleasant to drink out of. Nevertheless the mug shapes are really appealing in the rough texture.
The joaka seems to work for any tea...as long as the tea is good. If the tea has flaws. These flaws seem to be accentuated instead of rounded out - at least for roasted teas. I heard for green tea at lower temp, it doesnt accentuate the flaws as much. I dont detect any clear signs of muting. Mouthfeel seems fuller and smooth. Maybe the higher notes are emphasized a bit more than the lower darker notes.
For reduction carbonized (black) pots - it is very smoothing (much more than yamada sou mayake). This pot does mute the flavors quite a bit - and seasoning diminishes but does not eliminate that property. What it gives back in return is after taste, refined aroma and smooth mouthfeel. For sencha, for example, it seems to target and shave off whatever is the dominant flavors. What you get is a broader landscape of flavors and aromas that had been hiding behind the primary flavor curtain. It makes the tea taste more elegant.
I have no experience with other tozo Clay's
My Kyusu from Watanabe Tozo is listed 320ml by Akira Hojo and in fact I never fill it more than halfway through the 27-hole sieve* and that is a maximum of 260ml (minus 20%). Then she pours very well as long as I do the first 2 to 3 pouring movements slowly. After that I can pour off very quickly. Faster than with any of my other Kyusus. I guess the new Kyusus are maybe pouring better @faj?!? Also the lid fits perfectly (!), so no dropping here, just a few drops from the front of the spout sometimes. No big deal for me. I wipe dry with a cloth.wave_code wrote: ↑Sun Apr 04, 2021 6:29 amI see comments here and other places about the pour being bad though. Is it just that they tend to pour slow, or are the pots drippy and difficult? Is it a sizing/fill thing that like other kyusu they shouldn't be filled to capacity even for the rear handle pots? A lot of them are on the larger side but I'll write Hojo and see what might not be online. But if I want say 90-120ml usable capacity should I be sizing up for more like 150-190ml or larger? Then the question is whether to go for reduction fired or not, but both sound like they would be great choices for almost any tea and that chances are if you fall for one you eventually wind up with the other too.
If you go for 90 - 120ml I would add 20% volume to be on the safe side. For Sencha, Kabusecha & Co I would go for an oxidation fired Akitsu Mumyoi pot: it enchanches the body and aftertaste; exactly as Akira told me before I bought it. Just perfect! And you don't have to buy the Samashi made of the same clay. A bone china (style) pitcher (from Akira) does the job also very well. Just don't mix reduction with oxidation - I tried this and failed.
* long steamed green teas I recommend only to fill up to 1/3 of the sieve. Then it's fine. Up to the 1/2 also works, but you have to pour very, very carefully the first 5 pouring movements and if not disaster strikes.
@faj Which kind of sieve does your Kyuso have?
@LeoFox For reduction carbonized (black) pots --> are you describing the Akitsu Mumyoi (airport) or the Joaka Mumyoi (goldmine) pots?
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Last edited by Yoroko on Sun Apr 04, 2021 12:56 pm, edited 3 times in total.
?The back handle I got pours very well! And overall the design is superb from a practical standpoint.
Of course, I've been using larger leafed yancha and not sencha hahahaha!
It seems tozo went out of his way to study yixing and korean pots. Maybe his designs overall are more suited for non-Japanese teas.
I had emailed hojo if he knows what kind of tea tozo drinks but never got a response.
Of course, I've been using larger leafed yancha and not sencha hahahaha!
It seems tozo went out of his way to study yixing and korean pots. Maybe his designs overall are more suited for non-Japanese teas.
I had emailed hojo if he knows what kind of tea tozo drinks but never got a response.