Shidare-Sakura Kyusu, Japanese Teapot

Shidare-Sakura, meaning weeping cherry tree. Blossoms hanging over a dark pot, with Fuji behind.

The Shidare-Sakura Kyusu is a Tokoname teapot in a dark grey-black clay, hand-painted with white and pink cherry blossoms hanging on green stems, a small gold Mount Fuji on the side and a spray of blossom on the lid. Inside, a curved stainless mesh covers the spout opening and holds back the leaves as you pour. The side handle is held in one hand with the thumb resting on the lid, so pouring to the last drop is a turn of the wrist. At 430 ml it pours three or four cups, a pot for a table.

Tokoname, in Aichi Prefecture, is Japan's teapot capital and one of its oldest pottery towns, with about 900 years of kiln history. Its iron-rich red clay, shudei, is known for softening tannin, which is why tea people seek out a Tokoname kyusu.

Made in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Volume: 430 ml

Care: empty the leaves after each pot, rinse with hot water only, no detergent, and dry with the lid off.

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

Ships Australia-wide and worldwide, with free Australian shipping on orders over $100. See the full range of Japanese teapots, or read how to choose a kyusu if this is your first pot.