Pottery with buckwheat glaze. Some Korean teacups are called Soba-do, Soba-kasu, or simply Soba (see Soba). There are also Chinese ceramics called “Sobate” in Japan. It is an improved version of the glaze unique to southern China. The blackish iron silicates in the glaze are called sea-bass green, and the greenish iron silicates are called chaba-suji. The former is the Japanese term for black buckwheat noodles, and was first produced in the Chenghua period of the Ming dynasty (1465-187), and was copied in the Kangxi period of the Qing dynasty (1662-1722) at the official kilns.
The latter produced excellent results during the Yongzheng period of the Qing dynasty (1723-35), and was later named “Guan Kiln. Some pieces produced during the Qianlong period (1736-195) have fine crystals that look like uncrystallized greenish ground. This is called “crab armor,” and is considered the best of all buckwheat noodles. Most of the green buckwheat noodles are called “green buckwheat noodles,” and were produced during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods. The clay of Yongzheng buckwheat noodles were made of steel, while that of Qianlong buckwheat noodles were made of light yellow sand. (Detailed Description of Chinese Antiques, Pingya Shu)
