Handmade Hanwa Yixing Zisha Teapot – Benshan Luni Clay, 180ml

This is a 180 ml hanwa teapot in Benshan Luni Clay, fully handmade, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 汉瓦.

The clay. Cut from a thin green seam inside the zini layer — 'clay within clay, rock within rock'. Scarce, delicate, and with a narrow firing window, so pure-ore pots are genuinely hard to make. Fires a tender yellow-green that turns quietly jade-like with use. A scholar's clay rather than a workhorse.

The form. The Hanwa form (汉瓦) dates to the Qing dynasty. Modelled on Han-dynasty roof-end tiles, which were stamped with auspicious phrases such as 'may joy never end'. The body is cylindrical with flat shoulders and a straight wall. Firm, architectural lines. Takes a patina in a way that brings out an almost metallic depth.

How it was made. Built entirely by hand — the wall is beaten out from a slab and joined without a mould. Inside the body you can still read the tool marks and the joint line, which is how the method is verified.

Size and tea. At 180 ml this fills three or four cups at once — enough for guests without moving to a full teapot. Best suited to green tea, white tea and raw pu-erh.

One honest note on duanni-family clays: because the body is pale and very open, dark and heavily roasted teas can leave uneven marks if the pot is handled with oily hands or left wet. Rinse it, dry it, and keep it to lighter teas and it will come up beautifully.

This pot. Catalogue no. 140, 180 ml, US$85. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.

Made by 范卫兵. We buy directly from the workshop rather than through a wholesaler, so the attribution comes with the pot.

New to zisha? Read how to season a Yixing teapot before first use.

Similar teapots

• Handmade Hanwa Yixing Zisha Teapot — Hei Duntou Clay, 200 ml, $85
• Handmade Hanwa Yixing Zisha Teapot — Shihuang Clay, 200 ml, $85
• Handmade Hanwa Yixing Zisha Teapot — Jiangponi Clay, 160 ml, $85

Or browse every Benshan Luni pot · more Hanwa teapots.