How to read a side-handled kyūsu
If you were about to pour from this Japanese teapot, which way would you turn your wrist? Look down on the lid and find the spout. The handle of a yokode kyūsu branches off to one side. That arrangement is easiest to see in a pot held ready to pour.
On this page
Watch the hand#
In the pouring photograph on page 16 of Yūbi, the fingers curl around the handle and the thumb rests on the lid knob. Tea leaves the spout below the thumb. Now look at the two small pots beside the photograph, キ123 and キ124. The broad, dark opening on the right is the hollow end of the grip. The smaller opening on the left is the spout. Because both openings face partly towards the camera, their outlines alone can give a misleading impression of length. 16 (PDF 17)
Follow the tea from the inside#
With the lid off, look along the inner wall towards the spout. The tea passes through a strainer before it reaches the outlet. Page 35 opens up this part of the pot with photographs and a section drawing. Models キ401 and キ402 are both listed with a flat mesh strainer (平網). The drawing shows a broad sheet of stainless-steel mesh set in front of the outlet. That detail belongs to this series of pots for deeply steamed tea; the same page shows several other strainer shapes. 35 (PDF 36)
Compare a pair by the same maker#
On page 374 of the catalogue 器蔵11, two round green pots by the maker identified as 孝路 carry the same cat motif. On 374-602-931 a single grip projects from the side. On 374-603-931 a loop joins the body at two points opposite the spout. Even with the clay colour and decoration held constant, you can tell which pot you would grasp from the side and which you would grasp from behind. 374 (PDF 9)
Read the dimensions beside the photograph#
The plain red pot 374-101-931 is listed at 11 × 8.5 cm and 340 cc. The small diagram above it tells you what the first number measures: a diameter across the body. The second is height. If you need to know whether this pot will fit on a tray, the handle and spout extend beyond that diameter. For the two small Yūbi pots, the catalogue gives 170 mL and specifies at the foot of the page that capacities are measured filled to the brim. A comfortable pour leaves some of that space free. 374 (PDF 9) 16 (PDF 17)