TOKONAME HIDASUKI KYUSU | GAFU ITO

A beautiful Tokoname kyusu adorned with scarlet hidasuki lines, handcrafted by a young promising kyusu artist, Gafu Ito.


Born and raised in Tokoname, Ito found his passion for kyusu making when he was in high school. Whereas many artisans and artists nowadays mix pigments or other additives in their clay, Ito spends a fair amount of time on processing his clay. Using the traditional way, it takes at least a year to make his clay body. For shudei red clay, it even takes more than two years to finish the process. He blended kibushi clay from Seto and red soil (赤土/ akatsuchi) from Tokoname, both in Aichi prefecture, for this teapot. The expressive scarlet lines are marked by using the hidasuki technique. Firing the vessel with straw wrapped around, alkaline in the straw combines with the iron in the clay and produces scarlet burn marks.

Capacity: Approx. 135 ml (to the brim when empty. When in normal use with tea in, approx. 110 ml)
Diameter: Approx. 9 cm
Height: Approx. 4.2 cm (from the bottom till just below the knob)