About Ancient Lake Biwa Clay by Junzo Maekawa
This page introduces "Kobiwako", teaware fired in oxidation by Junzo Maekawa from a clay called Ancient Lake Biwa clay.
How Water, Kettles and Teaware Change the Taste of Tea
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Series |
Kobiwako (Ancient Lake Biwa) |
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Potter |
Junzo Maekawa |
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Clay |
Ancient Lake Biwa clay |
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Firing |
Oxidation firing |
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Character |
Lengthens the finish and deepens the aftertaste, with medium body (spread and fullness). |
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Teas we suggest |
Ancient Lake Biwa clay increases richness in the aftertaste while keeping body, the lateral spread, moderate, so we do not suggest it for teas you want to be showy. There is nothing wrong with using it for aromatic teas such as black tea or oolong, though the aroma will feel a little subdued. It goes well with green tea, roasted oolong, pu-erh, white tea and jasmine tea. |
Choosing the kettle matters as much as choosing the teapot, if not more. There is more at the link below.
How to choose a kettle for better tea
Ancient Lake Biwa clay is collected around Shigaraki and Iga.
It surprises people hearing it for the first time, but four to six million years ago Lake Biwa sat where the city of Iga is now.
Crustal movement is said to have shifted the lake to its present position between 400,000 and one million years ago.
As elsewhere, most places that yield clay good enough to improve the taste of water share a history of having once been a lake bed.
The areas around Tokoname, Seto, Yokkaichi and Mino, for instance, were once the bottom of a huge lake called Lake Tokai.
Plenty of iron
The geology of Iga, Shigaraki and Tsukigase holds a great deal of iron.
That iron disperses in water and separates by specific gravity on its own, forming layers with a high iron concentration. High iron content contributes to richness in tea. Tea brewed in Ancient Lake Biwa teaware has a deep richness, and the aroma stays in the mouth.
Fine mineral particles
The smaller the particles that make up the minerals, the greater the total surface area.
Having settled on the bed of Lake Biwa several hundred years ago, Ancient Lake Biwa clay was weathered naturally and sorted by specific gravity in water, so it is made up of extremely fine particles.
The iron in Ancient Lake Biwa teaware therefore has a very small particle size, which is why these pieces give a dramatically stronger richness than other teaware.
Searching for an original clay with Junzo Maekawa
HOJO looks for clay by its own standards and methods, then works through firing, refining and other conditions together with a potter who understands what we think and what we are after, until the teaware is finished.
For the Ancient Lake Biwa clay we asked Junzo Maekawa, a potter in Tokoname, to make the pieces.
Junzo Maekawa has an unusual background for a potter: he studied engineering at university. Alongside an artistic eye he thinks like an engineer, and he worked out many details to make the pieces easy to use and to get more out of them.
Shop Ancient Lake Biwa Clay by Junzo Maekawa from HOJO (81) >
