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Ichimatsu Japanese Tea Set – Teapot and 2 Cups

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$119.90
$159.90 $119.90
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The Ichimatsu Japanese tea set brings together a teapot and two cups in matte black glazed porcelain, covered in a raised checkerboard pattern. The teapot has a wooden handle that stays cool when the water is scalding, and a built-in filter that holds the leaves back as you pour.

  • 1 teapot + 2 matching cups
  • Matte black glazed porcelain, raised checkerboard pattern
  • Wooden handle on metal fittings
  • Built-in filter: loose-leaf brewing, clean pour
  • Cups without handles, the Japanese way
  • Hand wash recommended

● What the set contains

A complete, coherent set for two: teapot and cups share the same glaze and the same relief.

PieceQuantityDetail
Teapot1Matte black, wooden handle, lid and built-in filter
Cups2Matte black, no handle, same raised checkerboard

● Ichimatsu, the Japanese checkerboard

The ichimatsu pattern (市松) is a checkerboard of alternating squares, one of Japan's most recognisable traditional motifs. It takes its name from an 18th-century kabuki actor, Sanogawa Ichimatsu, who wore the check on stage and made it fashionable.

Here the checkerboard is not painted but modelled in relief in the porcelain. On a matte black glaze it barely shows from a distance: raking light reveals it, and the relief is felt under the fingers before it is seen.

● A wooden handle that stays cool

On a porcelain teapot, a ceramic handle heats up with the rest. This one is light wood, mounted as a bail on two metal fittings: you can pour without a cloth, even when the water has just boiled.

The bail folds to the side when the teapot is set down, freeing access to the lid to fill it or take the leaves out. That is what separates this format from a side-handled teapot.

● The built-in filter

The teapot has a filter at the base of the spout. You can therefore brew whole leaf, with no ball and no bag: the leaves open out through the whole volume of the pot, which gives a more open infusion than an infuser that squeezes them.

As you pour, the filter holds the leaves back and lets the tea through. To stop the brew going on and turning bitter, empty the pot into the cups rather than letting the tea sit in it.

● Making the tea

  1. Rinse the teapot and cups with hot water: preheated porcelain holds the temperature better.
  2. Drop the leaves into the bottom of the pot, with no infuser.
  3. Pour the water at the right temperature: 70 to 80 °C for a Japanese green tea, 90 to 95 °C for a black tea.
  4. Let it brew for the time your tea calls for, with the lid on.
  5. Pour in small amounts, alternating from one cup to the other, so both end up the same strength.

● Caring for the set

  • Hand wash in warm soapy water, because of the wooden handle and the metal fittings.
  • Dry the handle carefully: it is the one part of the set that minds lasting damp.
  • No abrasive sponge on the matte glaze, which scratches more easily than a glossy one.
  • Do not put the teapot on a heat source: it is made to receive hot water, not to heat it.
  • Avoid thermal shock: no boiling water into a teapot that has come out of the cold.

● Build your Japanese table

The Ichimatsu set joins our Japanese teapots and our Japanese cups and mugs. To go further, browse our whole Japanese tableware range and our Japanese gift ideas.

● Specifications

Contents1 teapot + 2 cups
MaterialGlazed porcelain
ColourMatte black
PatternRaised ichimatsu checkerboard
HandleLight wood, bail on metal fittings
FilterBuilt in at the base of the spout
CupsNo handle
CareHand wash recommended

● FAQ: Japanese tea set

What exactly is in the set?

A teapot and two matching cups, in matte black glazed porcelain with the same raised checkerboard pattern. The cups have no handles, as Japanese custom has it.

Do I need an infuser or a tea ball?

No. The teapot has a filter built in at the base of the spout. You drop the leaves straight into the bottom, they open out through the whole volume, and the filter holds them back as you pour.

Does the handle get hot?

No, and that is the point. The handle is wood mounted on metal fittings: you can pour without a cloth even with water that has just boiled, where a ceramic handle would become scalding.

Can the set go in the dishwasher?

It is not recommended. The wooden handle and its metal fittings take badly to hot cycles and detergents. Hand washing in warm water, with the handle dried carefully, keeps the set intact.

Can the teapot go on the stove?

No. This is a brewing teapot, not a kettle: it receives water that is already hot. Putting it on a hob or a flame would crack it.

Why do the cups have no handles?

That is the traditional shape of Japanese tea cups. You hold them in the full hand, which also lets you judge the temperature of the tea before drinking. The wall is thick enough to stay comfortable.

What is the ichimatsu pattern?

It is a checkerboard of alternating squares, one of the best known traditional Japanese motifs. It owes its name to Sanogawa Ichimatsu, an 18th-century kabuki actor who wore it on stage. Here it is modelled in relief in the porcelain rather than painted.

Does the matte glaze scratch easily?

More easily than a glossy glaze, yes. Avoid abrasive sponges and scouring products: a soft sponge is plenty, and the raised pattern does not trap deposits.

Is the set made in Japan?

No. It takes the shapes and the motifs of Japanese tea ware, but it is not made in Japan. We would rather say so plainly than leave any doubt.

Does it make a good gift?

Yes. A complete set for two is grasped without anything to add, the matte black suits any table, and there is no size or taste to guess.

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