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Plum branch themed tetsu kyusu by Oitomi

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Watchsearcher's loves7336 of 18315Cameo from my Great Great Great Great Aunt Eugenia Coolidge Sawtelle, pre 1867carte de visite of Deadwood, Dakota Territory 1880s
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    Posted 3 years ago

    kwqd
    (1119 items)

    This plum blossom/branch themed tetsu kyusu (iron teapot) is 2.5" (6.25 cm) high x 5.5" (14 cm) in diameter, weighs 2.3 lbs (1 kg) and holds exactly 16 ounces (.5 L) of water. The urushi coating has a green tint. It is UNMARKED! Luckily, I was able to spot it on the Boonie Hicks Oitomi page. It is in the upper right corner of the seventh image on this page, the first image which shows ten various kyusu made by Oitomi.

    https://www.booniehicks.com/oitomi-cast-iron/

    This is an example of another of the traditionally themed tetsu kyusu that I have been looking for. The Plum blossom/branch theme seems to be more commonly found on testsubin (cast iron kettles) than on tetsu kyusu. At least that has been my experience.

    Recently, I have done a couple of posts which focused on supposedly unmarked and oddly marked tetsu kyusu. The first was described as unmarked and images of the the second pot suggested a very oddly positioned mark in one of the two areas where tetsu kyusu are commonly marked. Tetsu Kyusu are typically marked under the spout, or to the right of the spout when facing the pot. Of course the "unmarked" pot was indeed marked, after all, and the pot with oddly positioned mark was in the expected area just not centered.

    I mentioned in my recent posts that I had never seen a high quality pot which was unmarked, but now I have. This one. From the seller's very comprehensive images, I could not spot a mark. It was only $10.50 USD, so worth taking a chance on since it might have proved to be non-Japanese, though I suspected it was.

    In image #4, I show the two areas where Japanese tetsu kyusu are typically marked in addition to the bottom. I seldom see Japanese pots marked on the bottom, but it is not uncommon to see Chinese pots marked that way. Chinese marks often include three small rectangles arranged in a triangle at one end of the character string.

    Upon receiving it, I determined that it is Japanese made, has a Japanese infuser and I found one other example that was described as "From Iwate and Made in Japan". It is a very fine casting, though no doubt made with green sand casting. Green sand castings are used to mass produce cast iron items, so not an artist piece, but very nice anyway. The interior and exterior finishes were probably done by hand as was any finishing to the casting. It is only by luck that I later spotted it on the Boonie Hicks web site. It appears to be very lightly used, perhaps another paperweight.

    So not disappointed, but now have to deal with the wild card of unmarked Japanese tetsu kyusu from well known foundries. Sigh.

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    Comments

    1. jscott0363 jscott0363, 3 years ago
      Nice one!! I really love the plum branch design on this one. Your photos are awesome!!
    2. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      Thanks for your comment, jscott0363. My phone camera loves sunlight!

      Thanks for loving my plum blossom kyusu Kevin, aura, Thomas and Jenni!
    3. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      Thanks dav2no1!
    4. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      Thank you Watchsearcher!
    5. racer4four racer4four, 3 years ago
      I am amazed at the knowledge you have Kevin!
      Love the plum blossoms.
      I saw a set the other day for sale, a teapot and trivet, but didn't buy it. It was still in the box but the box was unmarked and I couldn't find any marks on the teapot. You would have known if it was Japanese I am sure. It was $30 the set and I couldn't justify the spend on the off chance.
    6. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      Unmarked pots are a challenge, for sure, Karen. I have held enough Japanese tetsu kyusu in my hands, now, that I can get a good feeling for whether something is Japanese, or not. There is probably no substitute for that. I would be suspicious of a new, unmarked pot and trivet. You made the right decision, I think. Chinese pots I have seen appear to have a sprayed on finish as opposed to a hand applied finish, which is a good clue.

      Thanks for loving my plum blossom themed tetsu kyusu PhilDMorris, Karen, RichmondLori and fortapache!
    7. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      Thank you Alfie21!
    8. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      Thanks for your comments Eileen! No worries! Now that I have gotten my second shot, I am thrift shopping every day and also getting behind on CW! This is one of my favourite kyusu, the detail and textures are very well done.
    9. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      Belated thanks rhineisfine!

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