Hello, We are SHIHA TEAPOT SHOP. Today we introduce Yokei Mizuno Mogake Teapot. And we tell you about how to make Mogake Teapot.

What is Mogake Teapot?

Mogake(藻掛) teapot means seaweed pattern teapot.

Literally “Mo藻” means “Seaweed”, ”Gake 掛” means “hang” or “bind” or “cover”

Mogake teapot are only made by Tokoname teapot artist in Japan. Tokoname city faces to ocean. Mogake teapots have been made since 1800’s in Tokoname.

Yokei Mizuno Mogake Seaweed Kyusu Teapot

Simple and elegant body and it has seaweed pattern on it.

Can you see so much random lines running on the lid and the upper body? This decoration is made by seaweed.

Yokei make clay of the teapots to harmonize to the color of seaweed lines. Seaweed colors is also depends on the clay.

Color of seaweed shows on teapots is depending of the artists. Every Tokoname artist has their own style of Mogake Teapots.

Picking Up of Seaweed. Only Spring Seaweed can Make Beauty

For seaweed teapots, Yokei Mizuno go to ocean at a spring day to pick seaweed by himself.

Spring seaweed is soft and makes delicate pattern. He picks amount for one years works at a time.

Seaweed becomes thick and black in middle of May.

Seaweed has to be picked during certain period of time in spring – It has to be a low tide day. It is short and limited.

I asked him “what if you miss the day?”

He said “there is no way to make seaweed teapots in the year..”

It has to be timely. Now seaweed looks so precious ..

Preparation of Seaweed. Wash and Wash and..

Yokei Mizuno says that it takes time and hard work to wash and clean seaweed thoroughly until the level to be able to use for teapots.

If seaweed has salt more than it should, teapot would have blisters on the surface.

He repeats wash and dry until the certain level. His experience can tell the right time.

The background work of seaweed teapot is very hard.

What is the Hardest Process of Mogake Teapot?

He continues that hardest part is let seaweed stay on teapot in the kiln until it makes pattern on the surface of teapot.

Sometimes seaweed is gone due to the air/wind in kiln.

Sometimes seaweed pattern is not as he expected.

He will do it again to get ideal pattern.

It is vey a long way..

Learning of seaweed teapots make me feel more precious for it.

Thank you very much for reading our article!

Yohei Mizuno’s beautiful teapots are available at SHIHA TEAPOT SHOP. Please visit our online shop.

=== About SHIHA TEA & COMFORT===  
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