Japanese Kyusu Teapot Collection

A kyusu (急須) is the Japanese teapot traditionally used for brewing loose-leaf tea. Although the word simply means a teapot for steeping tea, the form most closely associated with Japanese tea is the yokode kyusu (横手急須), recognized by its handle extending from the side of the pot at roughly a right angle to the spout.

The side handle is more than a visual signature. It allows the pot to be controlled comfortably with one hand, making it easy to tilt, stop, and adjust the speed of the pour. This becomes particularly useful with Japanese green tea, where a difference of only a few seconds can change the balance of sweetness, umami, bitterness, and astringency.

A well-made kyusu is designed to pour cleanly and empty completely so the leaves do not continue steeping between infusions.

A Teapot Built Around Japanese Tea

Japanese green teas are usually steamed and rolled during processing, producing thinner leaves and, depending on the tea, a significant amount of small leaf material.

One of the most important parts of a kyusu is its built-in strainer. Many Japanese kyusu use a filter with numerous small openings or a fine stainless-steel screen.

The size and placement of the strainer affect more than whether leaves enter the cup. A broad filter allows water to leave the pot quickly across a larger area. That means the brewer can end the infusion precisely and pour the remaining liquor out rather than leaving a small amount trapped among the leaves.

For Japanese green tea, that control can make a noticeable difference.

Why Kyusu Are Often Wide and Shallow

Many kyusu also have a relatively wide mouth and shallow body.

The broad opening makes measuring tea, adding leaves, checking how they have opened, and cleaning the pot considerably easier. Long needle-like sencha leaves can be placed inside without forcing them through a narrow opening.

A wide brewing chamber lets the leaves spread across the bottom instead of gathering in a deep pile. As the leaves absorb water and open, hot water can move through them more evenly.

A shallower pot also makes the leaves easy to see between infusions. Japanese tea brewing often pays close attention to how the leaves change from one steep to the next—their color, aroma, softness, and how fully they have opened.

Different kyusu shapes handle leaves differently, so there is no single ideal shape for every tea. Wider, flatter pots can be particularly useful for sencha and gyokuro, while slightly deeper pots provide more room for larger-leaf teas, bancha, kukicha, or teas brewed with a greater volume of water.

The Clay Matters—But Not Simply Because It Is Porous

Unglazed Japanese kyusu are often compared with Chinese Yixing teapots, but Japanese teapot clay should not be judged simply by whether it is “more porous” or “less porous.”

Japanese kyusu are made from many different ceramic bodies and fired in different ways. Some are unglazed stoneware, some are glazed internally, and others are made from porcelain.

Two of the best-known traditions are Tokoname-yaki (常滑焼) from Aichi and Banko-yaki (萬古焼) from Mie.

Tokoname is particularly known for shudei (朱泥), an iron-rich red clay traditionally fired without glaze. Banko is known for its shidei (紫泥) teapots, where iron-rich clay and reduction firing produce the characteristic darker purple-brown surface.

Japanese potters and tea makers have long paid attention to how the clay itself, its mineral composition, and the way it is fired affect tea. Iron-rich unglazed clays are particularly valued for their interaction with the sharper and more astringent side of tea.

At the same time, Japanese teapot making is highly practical. A good kyusu is judged not only by its clay, but by how well the lid fits, how easily the leaves can move, how efficiently the filter drains, how cleanly the spout stops pouring, and how naturally the pot sits in the hand.

That balance of clay, leaf movement, filtration, and precise pouring is what gives the kyusu its own identity.

Our Japanese Kyusu Collection is selected with those details in mind: pots made not simply to hold tea, but to give the brewer better control over how Japanese tea opens, steeps, and pours from one infusion to the next.