See the Most Popular Japanese Teapots

If you look around, you will discover that anywhere in the world you travel to, there will be some sort of tea brewing pot in just about every kitchen. However, they do differ greatly from one country to another.

For example, the very proper English tend to have very elegant Victorian style tea pots; often in silver tea services. North Americans usually have cute and decorative ceramic teapots or perhaps glass.

Chinese pots are usually handcrafted from clay. And most notably, the Japanese prefer Tetsubin teapots made of cast iron.

This Japanese teapot is usually a simple, but angular shape, and is very strong and durable. Tetsubins keep tea hot for a much longer amount of time. They also deposit a small amount of iron into the tea as it sits in the pot, which is considered to be a bonus.

The patterns are usually made up of simple designs that are embossed on or etched into the surface of the teapot.

Japanese teapots are not always made of cast iron. They also have fine porcelain pots that well match their culture, by being refined, graciously elegant, simple…but strong as well. Aritayaki porcelainis a process that requires a great deal of skill It has been produced for centuries and is world renowned for its craftsmanship and quality…. for almost 400 years.

The Yugyokudo Pottery Shop in Arita, produces the famous white ceramic porcelain teapots known as Hakusan. In Aichi, Japan, you will find the Tokoname teapots, which are handcrafted exquisitely, and can be found in many different colors, shapes and styles.

Banko teapots come from Mie, and are made from clay that is very rich in iron. Green tea that is brewed in a Banko teapot is said to be the best you will ever taste.

But for the Japanese tea ceremony, as far back as the 1600′s, it has been the Tetsubin teapots that, with their enduring and stylish beauty that have prevailed. This ceremony is more than just a social event. It is almost a religious experience that celebrates the elegant and precise ceremonial nature of the Japanese in a moving and reverent manner.

There are different ceremonies of different lengths and elaboration. A chakari can cast for 20 to 60 minutes, during which a small meal, or some sweets are served with tea, and which can entertain as many guests as the host can comfortably provide for.

A chaji is more formal and involves several rituals that will end with a long and involved tea ceremony which is immediately followed by a more informal one.

The Japanese tea ceremony is a dramatic and beautiful production, made even more so by the perfection displayed in floral arrangements, the presentation of food, and, of course, the artistry of the brewing of the tea…so exact in every movement…and enhanced magnificently by the Japanese teapot.