澤田昭邨 Sawada Shôson
Yoshi En has recently grown out of Sunday Natural to become an independent premium tea store. As part of this transition, some products may still be shipped in Sunday Natural packaging.
| Type | Teapot with side handle: yokode kyūsu (横手急須) |
| Kiln | Tokoname Yaki (常滑焼) |
| Studio/Artist | Master Sawada Shôson (澤田昭邨) |
| Origin | Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, Japan |
| Volume | 280ml |
| Dimensions in cm (diameter without handle x height without knob) | 10.4 x 6.4cm |
| Weight | 260g |
| Clay | Natural Shudei clay |
| Strainer | Ceramic sieve pierced by hand |
| Production | The lid is ground to fit the body of the pot (Suriawase technique, すり合わせ), a sign of originality from Tokoname |
| Artist's Stamp | Yes |
| Packaging | Wooden box with the artist's signature |
Master Sawada Shôson was born in Tokoname in 1937 under the name Shuji Sawada. From 1956, he was taught the art of kyusu making by the famous Master Shuzan Umehara. By 1970, his father Shôson, a renowned sculptor, had bestowed his name upon him. He has taught at the Aichi University of the Arts, among other institutions, and is a member of the Japan Kōgei Association for traditional Japanese art crafts.
A kyusu is a traditional Japanese teapot used for the preparation of Japanese green tea. Fired from natural clay and unglazed on the inside, the body reacts with the tea and water to bring out certain aromas while subduing others. With the tea allowed to steep free-floating in the pot and the leaves lying across the integrated strainer when pouring to prevent them from entering the cup, the kyusu allows for a more complete extraction of flavours and ingredients. The tea should always be brewed fresh, but several infusions are customary. The side handle and the knob on the lid allow for safe handling of the teapot despite the high temperature of its contents.
Throughout history, there have been hundreds of ceramic centres in Japan, located wherever the volcanic soil was rich in clay. Some are still active today, including the Six Ancient Kilns (Jap.: Rokkoyo) Bizen, Shigaraki, Seto, Echizen, Tamba and Tokoname, others such as Karatsu, Hagi, Mino, Shino, Oribe, Setoguro Ki-Seto and Kyo-yaki, as well as Banko in Yokkaichi, which specialises in tea ceramics in particular.
Kyusu differ according to the composition of the clay, which varies from region to region, the firing method, the handmade production steps taken, the decoration and glazing techniques as well as the overall quality, which can range from delicate to deliberately coarse. The clay as well as chosen firing technique determine the character of the kyusu, i.e. which types of flavours are lifted or subdued. Therefore, tea lovers often have different kyusu of different qualities at home in order to optimally prepare all their favourite teas. Among the finest and most valuable kyusu are those made by artists famous for their special talents in manufacturing, decoration and unique natural clay production as well as for their perfected firing techniques.
Led by the most highly awarded masters, the hierarchy of craftsmanship includes studios that still draw on the reputation of past masters, young and wild studios and family-run micro-enterprises which produce the bulk of everyday ceramics. Vintage kyusu are important collector's items made entirely from now exhausted deposits of the highest quality natural clay of the respective region, achieving tea infusions of an incomparable calibre.
The largest and oldest of the legendary Six Ancient Kilns of Japan, Tokoname has been producing high-quality earthenware since the 12th century. The particularly iron-rich clay deposits of the region give the wares their characteristic red colour which, combined with oxidation firing, are key elements in their ability to optimise the teas' flavour. A special feature of the production of kyusu from Tokoname are the lids, which are ground by hand and fit precisely.
