"Apricot" Round Kyusu/Tea Pot (Matte Black)

Round and settled — like something that has always belonged on your tea tray.

The Apricot Round Kyusu takes its form from the full, calm shape of an apricot seed — a little wider than tall, with a composed presence that suits both a quiet morning and a table of guests. Made by NANKEI POTTERY (南景製陶園) in the Banko-yaki tradition of Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, this 320ml stoneware kyusu is fired without glaze using the yakishime method. The iron-rich Matte Black clay is left unglazed on the inside — the fine texture of the surface works directly against the tea, drawing out the astringency and leaving the flavour rounder, softer. Beneath the kyusu, an 18-8 stainless steel full-bottom mesh covers the entire floor: fine enough for gyokuro, with a gap between mesh and body so the leaves never soak in residual water — second and third infusions stay clean.

The more you use it, the darker and richer the clay becomes. This is a kyusu that improves with neglect.

Shipping

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South of Nagoya, along the shore of Ise Bay, Yokkaichi in Mie Prefecture has been a centre for Banko-yaki since the eighteenth century. The city's iron-rich clay and long firing tradition gave rise to a distinct stoneware character — dense, unglazed surfaces that age quietly with use. 南景製陶園 (Nankei Pottery) has worked within this tradition for decades, using a proprietary clay formula that has remained unchanged for more than fifty years. High-temperature yakishime firing drives off virtually all porosity, leaving a body that is hard, smooth to the touch, and subtly warm in colour.

The forms Nankei designs are spare and considered — nothing added that does not serve the tea. A kyusu pours cleanly; a yunomi sits without fuss in the hand. That restraint comes not from minimal effort but from sustained attention to proportion and weight. If you want to learn more about the people behind the work, our Behind the Sip article on Nankei Pottery goes further: Nankei Pottery — Banko-yaki in Yokkaichi.