Shikkoku Kyusu, Japanese Teapot

Shikkoku, meaning jet black. Black on black, softly mottled.

At 550 ml it fills four or five small Japanese tea cups (100 ml each). How to size a kyusu.

The Shikkoku Kyusu is a Tokoname teapot in a matte black clay with a faint grey mottling that shows only in the light, a plain round knob and a wide side handle, and nothing else on it at all. 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 550 ml it is the big pot: a table of four or more, or a jug of iced tea for the fridge.

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: 550 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.