On Sun, 15 Feb 2004 13:31:35 -0600, jmcquown <
[email protected]> wrote:
> John Soto wrote:
>> hey all -
>>
>> I will be visiting NYC in a couple of days. Always wanted one but never took out the time to
>> source it out. While I'm in NYC, any good shops in Chinatown or the like where there is a good
>> selection of Yixing or Tetsubin teapots.
>>
>> thanks !
>
> I've got a nice Japanese teapot set you can buy. It's decorated with bamboo leaves and gold,
> almost looks like the Mikasa set of china my mom has. It's porcelain. Has the teapot, sugar and
> creamer dishes and 6 cups. Email me if you're interested.
Sounds pretty, but the OP sounds like he's looking for fairly specific types of
Chinese/Japanese teapots. The Yixing teapots are made from the colored clays (red, purple,
beige, etc.) from a particular region in China, and are supposedly very good for the
brewing of tea. The clay is unglazed, and acquires a patina of sorts on the inside. Yixing
teapots come in a wide assortment of designs, so they're very decorative as well as
functional. My mother collects them. I only have one, but it is very pretty with a bamboo
motif carved in the handles and on the sides.
The Japanese Tetsubin teapots are, IIRC, cast iron. They are also quite lovely, and some have
beautiful enamel decorations on the outside. I am skeptical that an authentic Chinese or
Japanese tea set (vs. one made in that style for European tastes/usage) would have sugar or
creamer dishes, because sugar and cream are not used with Chinese or Japanese tea.
To John, sorry I don't know any sources in NY for this stuff. Before you go, however, it
might be interesting to check on Ebay. Last time I looked, quite a few vendors had Yixing
teapots for sale (haven't checked on the Tetsubin) and it might be worth a look to get an
idea of what price range and styles are available. It's been a while, but mine was less
than $20, including a pretty brocade box and the S/H from Hong Kong. I see them locally (SW
Ohio) every once in a while, but usually for over $25 even for the plainer styles.
Ariane