About Sideways Grip "Shojiki Kyusu" Teapot

This teapot made by Shikou Toubou Pottery is a handmade teapot made carefully one by one, makes you be able to deliciously brewed any types of tea.

When you brew tea in the normal teapot, the taste of the second boil is slightly different even if the first boil is delicious.

The reason behind this is because the common teapot can not drain all the tea into the last drop.

The remaining drops in the teapot became tannin, an astringent which can ruin the next tea servings.

"Shojiki Kyusu" teapot allows you to drain almost all of the drops.

With using the tiny holes, we can sqeeze and drain the tea into the last drop.

You can enjoy the mellow taste of tea without losing any richness and deliciousness of the tea leaves.

The Teapot can Change the Taste of Tea

The taste of tea depends on the teapot you use.

Basically, teapot has a function to lower the tempeature and heat of the hot water.

Furthermore, it can inflate the tea leaves and bring out the nice fragrance of tea.

But the most important function is to drain all tea leaves down to the last drop per brew.

The taste of tea is actually condensed in this last drop.

But if this one drop can not be drained out and left in the teapot, the tannin will be eluted from the remaining tea which can creat astringent. This astringent can ruin the taste of the next tea brew.

The Secret of Tea Ceremony
-Squeeze into Its Last Drop-

The feature of this "Shojiki Kyusu" is to narrow down the last one drop without leaving any extra tea in the teapot.

With this, you can brew the next boil freshly without losing any flavor of the tea.

This teapot has 150 holes that stops the tea leaves firmly.

Also, the teapot was designed that only the tea that passed through the teapot holes will flow smoothly to the cup.
So it would not cause any waste of tea.

The details at the deeper grooves are also carved into the lid at equal intervals.

You can also see a groove engraved on the lid.
By using this grooves, you can firmly squeeze the tea.

Please enjoy the delicious taste of tea with "Shojiki Kyusu" by all means.

How to Make Delicious Tea

Two important points to make delicious tea are the hot water temperature and the brewing method suitable for types of tea.

Different types of tea will have their own suitable hot water temperature.

Among Japanese tea, 'Sencha' is suitable to brewed in about 70 ℃ hot water, and the 'Gyokurocha' which is called "The King of Tea" is suitable in low temperature water of 40℃-50℃.

Meanwhile, you can just brew 'Banca' and 'Houjicha' as it is with boiling water with temperature of 90℃, to enjoy the astringent taste and fragrance of them.

Sencha: about 70 degree Celcius
Gyokurocha: about 40-50 degree Celcius
Bancha and Hojicha: about 90 degree Celcius

How to properly pour the tea

Japanese tea leaves is soft and easy to open, similar to oolong tea and black tea.

It is slow to open at low hot water temperature and easy to open at high hot water temperature.

The perfect timing for enjoying tea is at the moment before the leaves are perfectly open.

In the case of Sencha,
please put the 70 degree celcius of hot water into the teapot, and watch the tea leaves.

The tea leaves will swell in about 1 minute.

Please pour the first boil at this timing.

At the second and third boil, please shift the teapot lid to avoid the steaming process.

The important point is don't ever leave any drop per boil or it will ruin the taste of the next brew.

The Teapot was Carefully Made by Craftsmen

All the wares from Shikou Toubou Pottery has been carefully made one by one by craftsmen.

Here, we will introduce few pictures of making "My Coffee Pot" with manual process.
The production process is similar to "Shojiki Kyusu", the only thing that is different is only its design.

Molding by turning the potter's wheel → Scrap the body and lid → Finish it according to the size

Attach the handle → Drill the holes manually → The molding process is complete

After unglazed at 750 degree celcius, we put it in the kiln.
Baked it in 1230 degree celcius and the teapot is complete.

About Shikou Toubou Pottery

Shikou Toubou is a Shigaraki Ware Studio in Shigaraki Town, Shiga Prefecture.

All of its product are handmade product made one by one by traditional craft maker, high-skilled craftsmen.

Traditional Craftsmen (Shigaraki Ware's Small Traditional Accessories Craftsmen) - Mr. Keigo Konishi

1951, Born in Shiga Prefecture

In the area of Japan's six old kilns, Shigaraki is mostly a place for making big bowls (pots, strange houses, braziers, flower pots).
Mr. Keigo Konishi was born in the old-styled Edo Household which make small handcrafted items for generation.
He received the training for teapot making in his family business.

1969, He studied under Mr. Tatsunosuke Katayama

1994, Become Shikou Toubou Owner

1999, Get The Traditional Accessories Craftsmen Certification

Product Details

Name	Sideways Grip "Shojiki Kyusu" Teapot from Shikou Toubou Pottery
Size	175mm width x 103mm diameter x 100mm height * Please note that the size can't be always the same because it is a handmade product.
Weight	about 380 g
Capacity	240 cc
Material	pottery - glaze - water-soluble ceramic
Place of Origin	Shigaraki Town, Shiga Prefecture, Japan

Important Point to Use The Product