Stoneware kyusu teapot / Round gray Tokonamé

Stoneware teapot made in Tokonamé, Aichi Prefecture. Ideal for infusing sencha green tea. The town of Tokonamé is specialized in the art of ceramics and particularly known for the terracotta teapot. Tokonamé is the oldest and most important of the six ancient pottery centers of Japan with Shigaraki, Bizen, Tanba, Echizen and Seto. Ceramics have been produced there since the end of the Heian period (11th century), and traces of these productions can be found in Kamakura or on the northern coast of Honshū. The main characteristic of Tokonamé pottery is the use of iron-rich clay from the Chita peninsula: the iron contained in the clay, combined with the tannins of the tea, would help to soften the astringency and bitterness of the tea. tea. Tokonamé-yaki pottery is now designated as an important intangible cultural property of Japan.