britt wrote:
I love that Yohen brush-stroke style.
And nice collection, 38c.
I do too, but then again I like the mogake, sujihiki, and just about everything else that comes from the Hokujo kiln! I do have one kyusu and one yuzamashi with the yohen brush strokes, as well as a tall, dark yohen without the brush strokes.joelbct wrote:I love that Yohen brush-stroke style.
I have also seen pictures of matcha chawan by Hokujo done in the yohen brush stroke style. I had never seen any matcha chawan by Hokujo in any style, so I asked Toru of Artistic Nippon if they exist. When he visited the Hokujo kiln, he took some pictures of the yohen brush stroke chawan.
Jul 19th, '08, 00:19
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chamekke
Those round, enso-style brush strokes are called hakeme in Japanese.
It's funny. I never used to like them, then suddenly this year - I had to have a hakeme chawan. (Must put a photo up some time.) For some reason, I suddenly think they're beautiful.
And yours, Joel, are extremely beautiful.
P.S. Plus you hit the big 100 with that very posting! Woo and hoo!
It's funny. I never used to like them, then suddenly this year - I had to have a hakeme chawan. (Must put a photo up some time.) For some reason, I suddenly think they're beautiful.
And yours, Joel, are extremely beautiful.
P.S. Plus you hit the big 100 with that very posting! Woo and hoo!
I didn't particularly like or dislike the brush strokes at first. Then I purchased a Hokujo yohen kyusu that sort of had them, but the surface was burnished so the whole thing ended up looking more like an old, tarnished copper pot. The strokes were no longer distinct or obvious.chamekke wrote:Those round, enso-style brush strokes are called hakeme in Japanese.
It's funny. I never used to like them, then suddenly this year - I had to have a hakeme chawan. (Must put a photo up some time.) For some reason, I suddenly think they're beautiful.
I then purchased a yuzamashi with the distinct brush strokes and actually liked it.
Then yesterday I saw the cups with the brush strokes inside and out, and didn't hesitate to grab them since there was only one set available.
At this point I can say that I like the brush strokes, although it took a while and I still prefer the mogake. I think Hokujo is very diverse, and I regularly use everything I have from that kiln regardless of the finish.
Jul 20th, '08, 01:02
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chamekke
As mentioned in today's TeaPoll ... I actually bought a Hagi gyokuro tea set back in 2005 (!) and then forgot I had it (!!). The set languished in its box on top of my kitchen shelf until Olivier kindly sent me a sample of O-cha's Uji Gyokuro "Yume no Ukihashi" a little while ago.
So I finally had a chance to use the set as it was meant to be used - for gyokuro!
The first shot is by the vendor ("kofudo" as was - now "kofudo_jp") and it's a little fuzzy. The photo of the kyusu gives a pretty good idea of the look of the set as a whole.
It isn't by Deishi, but I like it
So I finally had a chance to use the set as it was meant to be used - for gyokuro!
The first shot is by the vendor ("kofudo" as was - now "kofudo_jp") and it's a little fuzzy. The photo of the kyusu gives a pretty good idea of the look of the set as a whole.
It isn't by Deishi, but I like it
Jul 20th, '08, 01:42
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chamekke
Thank you, Olivier! It was such a pleasure to try it out with your delicious gyokuro sample.olivierco wrote:Nice tea set.
Here is a photo I took of the kyusu while in use (sorry about the placemat, I know it's a bit distracting). Check out the lovely brilliant gyokuro leaves:
Last edited by chamekke on Jul 20th, '08, 12:04, edited 1 time in total.
Jul 20th, '08, 02:43
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chamekke
That's a very nice yusamashi, Olivier. I hope you find a hohin that goes with it.
The shape of yusamashi, especially the ones without handles, has always struck me as very sensual and beautiful. Maybe we should have a yusamashi thread to celebrate these interesting (and relatively unappreciated) wares?
For some reason, there is very little written about yusamashi in English. We need to share the love.
The shape of yusamashi, especially the ones without handles, has always struck me as very sensual and beautiful. Maybe we should have a yusamashi thread to celebrate these interesting (and relatively unappreciated) wares?
For some reason, there is very little written about yusamashi in English. We need to share the love.
______________________
"Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn't try it on."
- Billy Connolly
"Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn't try it on."
- Billy Connolly
Olivierco, very nice yuzamashi, especially the smaller one.
Chamekke, awesome little Hagi set, looks especially good full of those very green gyokuro leaves!
This is the Hokujo gyokuro set I purchased from Artistic Nippon last October. It was my first purchase specifically for gyokuro and I never regretted it or even thought about getting another gyokuro set. The cups are 0.8 ounces each and the shiboridashi 2.8 ounces, so I brew about 1.6 ounces per infusion. I almost didn't buy this because it was so small. Now I won't brew gyokuro in anything else.
I owned this a while before I added the matching 3.5 ounce yuzamashi. The whole combination works very well together, and although the set with yuzamashi is about $183, so are many porcelain gyokuro sets. I think this is an excellent choice for those who prefer clay over porcelain and don't mind brewing tiny infusions.
It's a bit quirky and has no filter, but once you get the hang of it there's no problem using it. This set was made by Hokujo to the specifications supplied by a tea dealer. I think both of them knew what they were doing when they came up with this one. I've never seen this set offered anywhere else but at Artistic Nippon.
Pics are from the vendor. They must sell quite a few of these, as they're out of stock once again.
Matching yuzamashi, 3.5 ounce:
Chamekke, awesome little Hagi set, looks especially good full of those very green gyokuro leaves!
This is the Hokujo gyokuro set I purchased from Artistic Nippon last October. It was my first purchase specifically for gyokuro and I never regretted it or even thought about getting another gyokuro set. The cups are 0.8 ounces each and the shiboridashi 2.8 ounces, so I brew about 1.6 ounces per infusion. I almost didn't buy this because it was so small. Now I won't brew gyokuro in anything else.
I owned this a while before I added the matching 3.5 ounce yuzamashi. The whole combination works very well together, and although the set with yuzamashi is about $183, so are many porcelain gyokuro sets. I think this is an excellent choice for those who prefer clay over porcelain and don't mind brewing tiny infusions.
It's a bit quirky and has no filter, but once you get the hang of it there's no problem using it. This set was made by Hokujo to the specifications supplied by a tea dealer. I think both of them knew what they were doing when they came up with this one. I've never seen this set offered anywhere else but at Artistic Nippon.
Pics are from the vendor. They must sell quite a few of these, as they're out of stock once again.
Matching yuzamashi, 3.5 ounce:
Jul 20th, '08, 12:11
Posts: 1953
Joined: Apr 6th, '08, 19:02
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chamekke
Sweet! Actually, I quite like this one... including its sakura-petal shape, and the solemn little bar that functions as a support for the thumb*.olivierco wrote:I also received this one. Not as nice, but I wanted a large one. It holds 6-7 oz
Here's a yusamashi I bought a couple of years back. It was part of a set that kofudo split up and sold individually. I did bid on the other pieces, but because they were so old (Meiji, allegedly), other bidders had deeper pockets. This little cutie charmed me due of its texture - and also that slight and very comfortable indentation on the left side, where the middle finger* grips the vessel:
*assuming that the user is right-handed, as Japanese pieces always do!