TOKONAME MOGAKE KYUSU 01 | GAFU ITO

A beautiful Tokoname kyusu adorned with mogake (seaweed) decoration, 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 this kyusu, he blended kibushi clay from Seto and red soil (赤土/ akatsuchi) from Tokoname, both in Aichi prefecture. The unique patterns are made by firing the vessel with seaweed wrapped around. The salt from the seaweed oxidises with the clay and leaves the patterns on the kyusu.

Capacity: approx. 65 ml (to the brim when there's no tea in)
Diameter: approx. 8 cm
Height: approx. 3 cm (from the bottom till just below the knob)