Kyusu (Japanese Teapot)

A kyusu (急須) is the standard Japanese teapot for loose-leaf green tea: a side-handled pot with a built-in strainer, usually stainless steel mesh in modern pieces, fitted where the spout meets the body. Capacity typically runs 200 to 450ml. Because green tea is meant to be poured out completely rather than left to steep further, a smaller kyusu, under 300ml, suits brewing for one or two people better than a larger pot meant for a full table.

Tokoname, in Aichi Prefecture, is the best-known kyusu-making region, prized specifically for its unglazed red clay: the clay’s iron content is traditionally said to react with tea’s tannins and soften bitterness, an effect many tea drinkers report as measurable in a side-by-side comparison. Porcelain and other stoneware kyusu are also common and generally easier to keep clean, since the glazed surface doesn’t absorb the tea the way unglazed clay does over years of use.