Kyusu/Tea Pot (Sand Black)

Dark, dense, and entirely without gloss — a teapot that means what it does.

The Sand Black Kyusu is a shiboridashi-style teapot from NANKEI POTTERY (南景製陶園), made in the Banko-yaki tradition of Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture. Shiboridashi is one of the oldest brewing methods in Japan: fine holes in both the body and lid replace the usual removable strainer — the traditional way of brewing coarser teas like hojicha or sencha in a leaf-forward style. Because both surfaces act as the filter, you can rinse both sides of the strainer directly. The clay is an original formula that NANKEI has used for over 50 years.

Sand Black uses argillaceous clay that is naturally resistant to water absorption — the interior is coated with a vitreous glaze for a smooth, pale grey surface, while the exterior carries a deep matte black with no sheen. Iron-dense and mineral-forward, this teapot will not pick up flavour between sessions. At 300ml it brews for one to two people; the shiboridashi holes allow you to brew directly into the cup.

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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.