Informazioni su Banko-Yaki Kyusu Teapot, Medium Diamond Cut - Mori Iroku IV - 320ml

A low, wide kyusu by Mori Iroku IV, fourth-generation master of the Iroku kiln in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, working in the carved style the family is known for.

The whole pot is cut by hand. Facets cover the body from foot to shoulder, climb the dome of the lid, run the length of the side handle, wrap the spout and finish on the knob, which is cut all round like a small gem. Nothing is left plain. The surface reads as one continuous skin of faceting that follows the swell of the form and tightens as the wall turns under.

The cut here is a medium one, tighter than the diamond cut Iroku uses most often. It is arguably the best scale of the three. The facets are small enough that the body reads as a jewelled surface rather than a set of individual cuts, and still large enough to hold a clear plane that catches light and throws a definite shadow. Turn the pot and it shifts through hundreds of soft values of grey, never flat from any angle. Each facet is one pass of the blade, taken in order, with no correction possible once the cut is made.

The clay is left unglazed. Its colour is the colour of the fired body, a deep gunmetal running almost black in the hollows and lifting to pale graphite where the cuts catch the light. The finish is matte and dry to the touch, with the faint tooth that only unglazed clay has. It will darken and take on a low sheen with years of handling, and the faceting will hold that patina in a way a smooth pot cannot.

For all the surface work the pot is built to pour. The low, wide body sits close to the table and keeps the weight in the hand rather than out ahead of it. The side handle is faceted along its length, which gives the fingers real grip. The spout draws to a fine mouth for a clean cut-off. Banko clay is dense and iron-rich, with the steady heat retention that has made the ware a standard for sencha and gyokuro for generations, and the wide, shallow chamber lets leaf open fully in a short steep.

The maker's mark is impressed on the body.

About the Artist

Mori Iroku IV is the fourth generation of the Iroku kiln in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, the home of Banko ware and one of Japan's principal centres for teaware. The kiln's carved surfaces are its signature, cut entirely by hand, one facet at a time, in a discipline passed down within the family. His work is collected in Japan and abroad.

Details & Specifications

• Origin: Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, Japan
• Artist: Mori Iroku IV
• Ware: Banko-yaki
• Type: Kyusu (side-handled Japanese teapot)
• Finish: Hand-carved medium diamond cut, unglazed
• Material: Natural Banko clay
• Capacity: 320 ml

Care

Rinse with warm water soon after use and remove the leaves promptly. No soap or dishwasher, which matters more here than usual since the clay is unglazed and will absorb residues. Let the pot dry fully, lid off, before storing. Tea staining inside is normal and part of how the pot ages.