Posted 3 years ago
kwqd
(1122 items)
This Roji tetsu kyusu is 6" in diameter x 3" high, minus spout and lid, and weighs 2.5 lbs. It is not marked. I did not check the volume but suspect it holds about 16 ounces of water. The celadon yunomi are 3.25" in diameter x 2.25" high and are indistinctly marked on the bottom. One yunomi has a "Made in Japan" label. I was able to locate other examples of these cups with clear marks which look like three progressively larger, or smaller depending on your perspective, triangles joined at the base. I added a clear image of the mark to image #3. I have seen this mark before, but do not remember the kiln. This set was opened, but has never been used.
The finishing of the tetsu kyusu is excellent. No finish grinding marks are visible. The finish has been worn off the point of the finial due to the negligence of the seller. The cups, despite the muddy maker's mark, are very well shaped and glazed.
I paid only $7.50 for this set, a pretty good price as Roji is a high end Japanese maker of cast iron cookware. Their products are not common in the U.S. but appear to be more common in New Zealand and Australia. The seller's packing was horrible and the finial of the lid poked through the presentation box during shipment. It is a testament to the sturdiness of the yunomi that they arrived undamaged. My first piece of Roji cast iron. Very nice set. During my research, I found Roji's web site but was unable to locate it when I did this post. If I come across it later, I will add it.
I can't believe how cheaply you get these great Japanese pieces, Kevin. You are the bargain hunter extraordinaire.
A lovely group. The celadon is so beautiful, perfectly crackled.
Thanks for your comments, Karen. I think I find these deals for a couple of reasons. First, I think there is very little interest in post-War Japanese tetsu kyusu in the U.S. Second, I don't think they are seen as a collectible art objects and there is no understanding of the quality of Japanese pots here. I think there may be a moderate interest in Japanese antique (100+ years old) tetsubin and maybe 1940s-1950s (vintage) tetsu kyusu, but mostly among U.S. resellers who hope to make a big profit on them, which is unlikely, or by tea aficionados who are looking for a tetsubin (kettle) for personal use. I don't think Americans are big tea drinkers, however, which make the market even smaller. Then, there is the flood of inferior quality Chinese iron pots and kettles on the secondary market here and most people can't distinguish between them and a quality Japanese pot so are probably hesitant to take the plunge and buy one. There are many ridiculously over priced post 2000 Chinese junk pots on on line auctions sites advertised as Japanese "antiques". Most people just don't know how to tell the difference between various quality levels of Japanese cast iron and inferior Chinese cast iron. I don't see any sign of Japanese pots becoming collectible, but it may happen some day. I just buy them because I like them, and as with anything I collect, I don't consider them and investment and don't expect to get back the money I spend.
Thanks for loving my Roji cast iron and pottery set fortapache, jscott0363, dav2no1, Karen, Kevin, aura and Vynil33rpm!
thanks for all the great info on Japanese teapots kwqd! i've been meaning to ask you if there's something i can treat mine with? one of mine is kind of old and prone to rusting. i want to oil it, but don't want to affect the taste of the tea i make with it. i use mine quite a bit.
Hey ho2cultcha. Are your talking about inside, outside or both surfaces?
For the exterior, you can just wipe it down with green tea on a cloth or paper towel. Do it when the pot is hot. Green tea has tannic acid in it which interacts with rust to seal it. It also turns it black which blends with the color of a traditionally finished pot. Green tea is part of the solution used to create the traditional black finish. If the exterior has a lot of rust, I would use a fairly stiff nylon bristle brush first to lightly scrub the pot to remove any loose rust, dust, dirt, etc. You may need to repeat the application of green tea if it is very rusty. The tannic acid continues to work after applying and I have seen lightly rusted pots turn black after a few days with one application. I typically wipe down pots with traditional finishes with green tea every time I use them.
Not sure how well this works with colored pots as I tend to avoid using those. I suspect that, over time and use, a colored pot is going to become mottled, so one can choose rust or blackened rust....
If the interior is rusted, you can use fresh or used green tea leaves, add boiling water and let sit for 20 minutes and then rinse it with clean hot water. That will seal the rust, but if the urushi lining is compromised it becomes a one tea pot as the pot is going to absorb the flavor of the tea boiled in it. That is what I have read anyway. I can't tell the difference because I have no sense of smell and tea just tastes like hot water to me.
Hope this helps.
Thanks Jenni, ho2cultcha, Thomas and Alfie21!
Thank you PhilDMorris, mikelv85 and LazyBoy!
Thanks for your comments Eileen! Yeah, I hate when seller's think their job is done when your money hits their bank account or when those responsible for carrying our packages take out their life frustrations on other people's property instead of making positive changes to their lives. I've seen some really unhappy mail carriers, too.
I bought a really nice, big Sanyu vase from a seller who has very few feedbacks, only sells something every few months and has no glass in their feedbacks, so sent them a link on how to pack glass. Their shipping is pretty high but it looks like they don't have much experience with shipping large anything, so giving them the benefit of a doubt that they aren't trying to profit from shipping. They should have plenty to pay for properly boxing this vase. We shall see. I generally don't buy from sellers who are obviously overcharging on shipping to make more money. I recently passed on a potentially interesting kyusu due to the inflated shipping costs.
I am pretty happy with this tea set.
Thanks for loving my tea set, Jenni!