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ASAHIYAKI and Tea

Uji-grown tea owes its renowned flavor and savory by protecting dawn mists arising from the Uji River, which emanate from the intense climate temperature difference. The clay of Asahiyaki is soil, that washed downstream by the river, has accumulated for over thousands of years, to form sediment admirably suited to ceramic work. The river lies at the heart of the unique regional culture of Uji.


 

”TsuGiNeFu” is an early Edo era guide to celebrated scenic spots to be found in the area extending to Yamashiro.  It is quoted the following lines of poetry, composed by Kitamura Kijin in 1684.

 

Uji has now become noted for the tea grown there,

Nothing but (tea) fields to be seen on everywhere,

The clay from its mountains provides tea bowls of Asahiyaki,

From river rocks are hewn mills to grind leaf to powder,

Its bamboo is shaped into both tea whisks and scoops,

And its timber is burnt becoming white-coated charcoal to prepare tea.

 

As these verses make clear, by the time of its composition little that went on in Uji had no relation to tea.  "Uji River" and "Tea" are always in the center of Uji and crawls there, "Asahiyaki" was raised.

The founder of Asahiyaki named Tosaku used clay found in the region and create tea utensils, such as tea bowls and water jug that were loved by daimyo (feudal load), public houses, tea ceremonies in the era 400 years ago when tea masters such as Sen no Rikyu and Kobori Enshu.

In the latter part of the Edo era, the eighth generation Chobei, in the era of Sencha and Gyokuro was born in Uji, began making tea pots which became the original shape of the present shape. It is about 150 years ago from now.
Asahiyaki is a pottery that has been grown up together with the development of Uji tea culture. In the future Asahiyaki will cherish the tea culture so far and will continue walking with them.