• HOME >
  • Teapot and Tea Equipment

2 types of clay used for Mumoyi Yaki in Sado Island

[2014.02.06] Posted By

In Japan, the pottery in Sado Island that uses natural red clay is called the Mumyoi Yaki (無名異焼). The Mumyoi Yaki is defined as the clay ware made of “Shudei” (朱泥), collected from the Aikawa gold mine and the surrounding mountains. However, if you understand more about the Mumyoi Yaki, you would know that there are 2 types of clays involved. One of the clays is the Nosaka clay that has a yellowish-beige color and it is sticky as it consists of very fine particles, while another type of clay is called the Mumyoi clay which is of orange-red color where the particles are coarser. Both types of clay exist around the Aikawa gold mine area. According to the definition, the clay ware is still known as the Mumyoi Yaki regardless using either one clay or both. Usually, to produce a tea ware of 100% Mumyoi clay is very difficult as it is a little too coarse for the artist to shape. In Japan, majority of artists operate on a potter’s wheel for their work; thus, the clay has to be elastic enough to mold. Hence, it is a common practice to add in a certain percentage of Nosaka clay with the Mumyoi clay to make it malleable enough.

Here is a summary of the Mumyoi Yaki as follow.

    1. It involves Mumyoi clay and Nosaka clay or either one of 2.
    2. The artist obtains the clay by themselves and carries out the entire refining process by themselves before it can be molded.
    3. It resembles the traditions of China Yi Xing teapot production in many ways.

In the quest of clay that improves the taste of tea, we’ve produced teapots using 100% Nosaka Clay and Mumyoi Clay (Mumyoi clay + minor percentage of Nosaka clay). Despite the obvious difference in appearance of these clays (as I’ve mentioned earlier), the color and the appearance of teapot after firing is almost indistinguishable. Thru the history of Mumyoi Yaki in Sado Island, the potters would blend the clays and set a firing temperature only based on the appearance of the tea ware. We, however, discovered that these two types of clay give a completely adverse effect on the taste of water or tea; therefore, we select our own clay based on the effect of taste.

Mumyoi clay teapot

Mumoyi Clay Namamigaki Teapot

Nosaka Clay Teapot

Nosaka Clay Namamigaki Teapot

The reason why we introduced 2 types of clay from Sado Island

Nosaka increases the after taste

The Nosaka clay selectively increases the aftertaste of tea but not so much obvious in increasing the body. The tea brewed in Nosaka gives a transparent, clear and smooth image. Moreover, the flavor of tea becomes softer, yet long lasting.

The place where Shimizu Ken collects his clay

Mountain near the Aikawa gold mine where Shimizu Ken collects his Nosaka clay

The crude clay of nosaka

The crude clay of Nosaka

野坂

Mumyoi clay increases body

The Mumyoi clay significantly increases the body of tea as well as the after taste. Plus, the flavor of tea brewed using a Mumyoi clay tea ware becomes richer, bolder and wider. This clay performs very well with fermented tea such as Oolong and Black tea. I personally love Taiwanese and Darjeeling tea being brewed in this clay.

Mumoyi clay

Mountain site where Shimizu Ken collects his Mumoyi clay

The crude clay of mumoyi

The crude clay of Mumoyi

Upgrading of the Mumyoi clay

We’ve made some improvement to the Mumyoi clay by analyzing the refining method of clay; by that, we managed to increase the level of the aftertaste and body even more than the previous batch. This is the 3rd successful improvement of this clay in my history.

Mumoyi Yaki Hohin

Mumoyi Yaki teapot

 

Related Articles

How to get the latest update on HOJO Tea?

1. Follow Twitter, 2. Click "Like" on Facebook, and 3. Subscribe in newsletter. You can have the latest tea news from HOJO Tea.

Subscribe the Newsletter to enjoy the privileges
You may receive a free sample upon purchase, or you may have the priority to purchase special products. So please remember to subscribe our newsletter as well as the social network.
HOJO TEA Malaysia online Shop

HOJO TEA Online Shop NEWSlist

Discover the long-lasting flavor profile of 2023 Shi Feng Long Jing
We have launched the 2023 harvest of Shi Feng Long Jing tea. Shi Feng Long Jing tea, also known as Shi Feng Dragon Well tea. It is one of the most famous and highly regarded teas in China.Shi Feng Long Jing tea is characterized by its flat, spear-shaped leaves that have a vibrant green colour. …
Rare Jasmine Tea Uniquely Crafted from Ripe Pu-erh
Instead of sourcing finished jasmine tea, we specialize in producing custom-made jasmine tea by bringing our carefully selected raw materials to jasmine factories. Over the years, we have created numerous unique jasmine tea varieties that are not available elsewhere, such as Pu-erh jasmine tea made from raw Pu-erh tea leaves, Jasmine Silver Needle made from …

NEW ARTICLES

Discover the long-lasting flavor profile of 2023 Shi Feng Long Jing
We have launched the 2023 harvest of Shi Feng Long Jing tea. Shi Feng Long Jing tea, also known as Shi Feng Dragon Well tea. It is one of the most famous and highly regarded teas in China.Shi Feng Long Jing tea is characterized by its flat, spear-shaped leaves that have a vibrant green colour. …
Rare Jasmine Tea Uniquely Crafted from Ripe Pu-erh
Instead of sourcing finished jasmine tea, we specialize in producing custom-made jasmine tea by bringing our carefully selected raw materials to jasmine factories. Over the years, we have created numerous unique jasmine tea varieties that are not available elsewhere, such as Pu-erh jasmine tea made from raw Pu-erh tea leaves, Jasmine Silver Needle made from …
Introducing 3 Varieties of Phoenix Dancong Oolong Tea
We have released new types of Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea that are finished with more rounds of roasting with traditional charcoal fire by skilled tea master. In Phoenix, the locals called it Nong Xiang style, meaning that tea is giving more intense matured flavor. Nong Xiang tea refers to tea that has been roasted …
Exploring the Taste Diversity Within a Tea Tree: Apical Buds vs. Lateral Buds
Do you believe that all tea leaves have the same taste as long as they come from the same tree? I would like to explain that the taste of tea can vary significantly depending on the plucking position, even when harvested from the same tree. The Difference in Flavor Due to Different Harvesting Parts of …
Hidden Costs of High Valuations of Old Tea Trees
Over the past decade, tea enthusiasts in China have been captivated by teas harvested from Ancient Tea trees, particularly those from Yunnan province, Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea and Wuyi Rock Tea. However, as Ancient Tea trees are rare, the prices of teas harvested from them have skyrocketed. As a result, some farmers who possess …
Discover the Unique Taste of Wu Jia Ping Zhang Ancient Tree Raw Pu-Erh Tea
We have released Wu Jia Ping Zhang ancient tree raw pu-erh tea for 2020 and 2021. This tea is grown in tea gardens located around 2100 meters above sea level in the southwestern part of Lincang City, Yunnan Province of China, just a few dozen kilometres from the Myanmar border. Single-origin tea Wu Jia Ping …
Introducing 3 High Grown Darjeeling First Flush Teas Produced Using Sustainable Methods
We have released three types of Darjeeling First Flush, all of which are grown sustainably. The tea gardens are maintained using natural farming methods, and the use of fertilizers is limited when growing the tea trees. As a result, the tea gardens closely resemble their natural state. Unlike common Darjeeling tea, these teas grow slowly, …
New Release of Tsuge Zairai Sencha from Sustainable Tea Garden
Tsuge Zairai Sencha 都祁在来煎茶 is made from “zairai” tea plucked in spring, from the naturally farmed tea garden located in Tsuge, Nara City, Nara Prefecture. The tea garden of Tsuge Zairai Sencha is maintained in sustainable manner applying neither pesticide nor fertilizer. Tsuge Zairai Sencha has a subtle and refreshing floral scent with a hint …
New Release of Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea Cake 2021
Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea 2021 is available now. This tea is always very popular in our shop. In Japan, we brought in loose tea this year, and for Malaysia we produced 200g cake. Mao cha before compressing into cake Very limited resources This tea is made from the wild tea, called Camelia taliensis. …
New Release of 2 Types of Darjeeling 1st Flush
We have released two types of Darjeeling 1st Flush Tea. The reason why the Darjeeling 1st Flush is greenish In Darjeeling tea, the 1st flush refers to the first-plucked spring tea. Usually, the Darjeeling 1st Flush tea is greenish. From the outlook, it looks like a green tea. Many people misunderstand that it is green …

PAGETOP