Itô Bigetsu has won many awards and been much honoured over his long career, and is undoubtedly one of the most well-known Banko-yaki potters.
What is most remarkable about his work is the clay he uses: red “akatsuchi”, which he makes himself. It is very finely sieved and ripened for many years. With this type of clay, the length of the ripening period is crucial.
With its extremely fine grain, and after having been fired in reduction twice, this clay becomes a superb purple “shidei”, typical of Banko-yaki, with incomparable colour and sheen. The unique shade and texture are what make Bigetsu’s teapots so enchanting.

The shape of this teapot is called “mangetsu” (full moon), and it is also representative of this potter’s work.