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You're interested in Japanese tea rituals and you're gathering the supplies you need. Since the tea set is certainly going to be seen in any ceremonies, you've decided to start by selecting the right tea pot and cups. A quick look at the different resources you've gathered confirms that your fine bone china sets from England are not going to be appropriate. Japanese pots that are used in tea ceremonies are traditionally iron, red clay, or Raku pottery instead of the delicate porcelain or china pieces the Western world prefers.
For people who want to be completely tratitional, a Raku teapot is a great choice. Raku teapots have been used in Japanese tea ceremonies since the 16th century and continue to be extremely popular today.
If you're thinking that iron pots can't be very pretty, you haven't seen one of these lovely teapots. They bear little resemblance to a cast iron cooking pot and often have beautiful designs of bamboo or other things from nature on them. Some of them have a lovely red or brown color instead of the standard black appearance of iron. Many people feel that using an iron pot in your ceremony is a celebration of strength and unity.