This delightful teapot by Tokoname potter Yutaka Tsuzuki is formed from a smooth river-stone grey clay. Its pleasant, rounded shape and minimally flared handle help to shift focus to the real ‘star of the show’, the teapot’s elegantly ornamented lid. Yutaka cleverly uses contrasting colors of slip paint for his decorative floral elements. Bands of white slip accompanied by tiny hand stamped flower designs frame the lid’s knob and define the rim. Between the white slip bands, Yutaka uses black slip to paint a lovely array of flower petals. The juxtaposition of colors as well as the mixture of decorative techniques combine to create a true visual delight!
This teapot also has a number of practical features, such as a sturdy shape and large opening, making it very useful for steeping a variety of teas, no matter what size the leaf.
Yutaka Tsuzuki was born in 1972 and is the son of the renowned Tokoname potter Seihō Tsuzuki. Although he initially studied and went to school for interior design, in the mid 1990’s he switched his focus to ceramics. Yutaka first apprenticed under master Kiyomizu ceramicist Morisato Toraku in Kyoto before returning to Tokoname to study with his father. He started working independently in 2003 and has won multiple awards. Much like the work of his father, most of Yutaka Tsuzuki’s pieces are created using fine-grained grey clay and feature highly effective embellishments.
Please Note:
This is a handmade item – slight variations in the painting, colors, tooling, patterning and kiln effects of Chinese and Japanese tea wares are to be expected. We have carefully photographed this item as best as possible – please be aware that different device screens can render colors and subtle tones slightly differently.
Want to know more?
How to Clean a Tokoname Teapot
How We Determine the Size & Capacity of our Teawares