Tokoname shudei kyūsu

It is said that the first kyūsu (small teapots with side handles) were made in Tokoname during the latter part of the Edo period, specifically the Bunka-Bunsei period (approx. 1804-1830). In the Bakamatsu period, Sugie Jumon（1827－1897) became a popular producer of shudei kyūsu, teapots with unglazed burnished red clay surfaces. It is widely thought that all Tokoname kyūsu are shudei kyūsu, but this is actually a postwar notion. Living National Treasure Yamada Jōzan III（1924－2005）faithfully inherited the traditions of previous generations while incorporating a modern, individualistic style. Yamada’s work inspired a rapid increase in the contemporary appreciation of Tokoname kyūsu throughout Japan.