Black tea pot (kurojoka), Black Satsuma Ware – (Ariyama Chotaro The 3Rd) ◄ Previous Next ►

Artist: Ariyama Chotaro The 3Rd

Technique: Ceramic

The most representative black Satsuma is the choka, meaning earthen teapot in Kagoshima dialect. The word is usually represented by the Chinese characters 茶家, but sometimes also千代香 or 猪牙. A well-known type today is the black chaka, a stylish shōchū (distilled liquor) warmer, which is mainly designed with a wide body that resembles the beads on an abacus. This shape, however, originated in the Shōwa period, and during the Edo period it was common to make the body round.