Celadon Houhin - 150ml

Name: Celadon Houhin - 150ml
Brand: Asahiyaki
SKU: US-H22
Price: 278.00 USD
Availability: OutOfStock

Asahiyaki

★★★★★ (2)

$278.00

This elegant celadon houhin (handleless teapot) is thrown from porcelain in a Asahiyaki’s signature shape. The transparent glaze on the inside of the pot lets the pure white of the porcelain shine through, allowing the true colour of the tea leaves to be appreciated. The outside is given a classic celadon glaze, with its pale blue-green tone recalling the clarity of the Uji River and the elegance of ancient Song Dynasty wares.

Asahiyaki’s houhin is the pinnacle of this style of teapot. First made by their 8th generation master Chōbe, they have continued to refine and improve his original design over the centuries and now this houhin is one of their signature pieces. The do-ake style direct filter features 150 small holes, allowing for quick and effective straining of the leaves. The wide, streamlined spout makes pouring smooth and elegant, especially when coupled with the extra large air hole on the lid, which allows air to quickly flow into the pot to replace the tea being poured. The lip on which this lid rests also is made with exceeding attention to detail. Above the filter, it is extended into a ‘crescent moon’ shape, which helps prevent tea from leaking out from under the lid while pouring. On the opposite side, the lip is reduced to a bare minimum, making it easier to empty out the leaves when you’re done brewing.

Before using it for the first time, it is recommended to soak the piece in water for 10 minutes. This will dislodge any dust from the clay as well as slow down the natural development of patina in the glaze.

This piece was made by the skilled craftsmen at the Asahiyaki studio.

Generally speaking, celadon (青磁 - seiji) refers to high-fired stoneware or porcelain wares covered with a pale, translucent, bluish-green-grey glaze. Typically, these glazes get their colour from small amounts of refined iron fired at high temperature in a reducing atmosphere.

The earliest proto-celadons were developed in the Shang Dynasty in China, but it was only in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) that celadon production became more popular and refined, with Ru, Yue, Yaozhou, Ge, Guan, and Longquan celadons defining the aesthetics of the era. Ranging from pure light blues, to crazed greens, the jade-like ceramic became the standard of the Song Imperial Court.

Celadon from the Longquan kilns (龍泉, pronounced ryūsen in Japanese), was produced in large quantities and exported outside of China. Efforts to mimic these wares in Goryeo Dynasty Korea resulted in a new and unique Korean style of celadon, often with delicate inlay.

In Japan, Longquan celadon was highly regarded, but rarely imitated at first, due to the ceramic technology required. Domestic celadon production only began in Japan in the 1600s.

Asahi-yaki (朝日焼) are a world-renowned pottery studio located at the foot of Mt. Asahi in Uji. Their founder produced wares for the tea ceremony in the late 16th-early 17th centuries, at the height of chanoyu’s artistic development, and his works were loved by chajin Kobori Enshū (who succeeded Furuta Oribe and Sen-no-Rikyū as leading tea master). Since then, Asahi-yaki have continued to make wares that capture Enshū’s aesthetic philosophy of ‘Kirei-Sabi’, which is a more refined take on Rikyū’s ‘Wabi(-sabi)’.

Today, they are headed by 16th generation potter Matsubayashi Hōsai XVI who leads his studio in producing wares for both the Japanese tea ceremony and for the brewing of loose-leaf teas. They continue to use local Uji clay, mined from the surrounding hills, which they call ‘hanshi’. Since the 8th generation head, they also make sencha and gyokuro wares out of porcelain from Kyūshu.