Hinode Kyusu, Japanese Teapot

Hinode (日の出), sunrise. Look down on the lid: a glow of red clay rises through the dark rings, like the sun coming up behind a black hill.

The Hinode Kyusu is a 470 ml Tokoname teapot with a dark charcoal skin over red shudei clay. Fine ridges are cut right around the body and across the lid, and where they catch the light the red clay shows through, strongest on the lid and at the shoulder; the inside is bare red clay. The spout, knob and side handle are the same smooth dark charcoal against the ridged body. Inside is an obi-ami strainer (帯網): a band of fine stainless mesh fitted around the whole inner wall, so the leaves drain through the full circumference rather than one small patch behind the spout. It resists clogging and pours cleanly, which matters most with the fine, broken leaf of a deep-steamed sencha. At 470 ml it is one of the larger kyusu we carry: two or three cups at a time, or one big cup of genmaicha or hojicha.

Tokoname ware (常滑焼, Tokoname-yaki) comes from Tokoname on the Chita Peninsula in Aichi Prefecture, one of Japan's six ancient kilns, with pottery dating back to the twelfth century. Its shudei (朱泥) teapots are made from iron-rich clay fired in an oxidising kiln, which gives the clay its red colour, and the iron in the clay is said to soften the tannin in the tea and round off the cup. It is the home of the Japanese kyusu.

Made in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Volume: 470 ml, measured brim-full
Strainer: obi-ami, stainless mesh band around the inside

Please note: shape, colour and capacity vary a little from piece to piece. That is the nature of handmade Japanese ceramics.

Ships Australia-wide and worldwide from our Sydney studio, with free Australian shipping on orders over $100. See the full range of Japanese teapots.