Art Creation Theory 14 "What is the essence of a chawan?"
What is a tea bowl?
At first glance, tea bowls seem to be the simplest tea ceremony utensils. However, in reality, they are central to Japanese tea ceremony and pottery, with eight tea bowls designated as national treasures and 47 tea bowls designated as important cultural properties. What is it that makes a simple vessel rise to the height of being called a "tea bowl"? The answer is simple: the act of "making and drinking tea." In this sense, any vessel that can be used to make and drink tea can be a tea bowl.
In the 12th and 13th centuries, the term "chawan" referred to all glazed ceramics and pottery imported from China, rather than specifically to tea bowls. For instance, the phrase "tea bowl bottle" was used to describe bottles made from these imported ceramics.
Today, however, the term "chawan" is exclusively used to describe tea bowls. This shift in meaning reflects the evolution of tea culture in Japan, where tea bowls have become an essential part of the tea ceremony.
But the more important question is: what is a "good tea bowl?" Why would enthusiasts spend hundreds of thousands, millions, or even more on tea bowls when a simple soup bowl would suffice? To understand the context, we need a brief look at tea bowl design and history.
The History of Tea Bowls
The Japanese love of tea bowls dates back to when tea was first introduced to Japan from China over 800 years ago. Along with tea came the magnificent Jian ware tea bowls, which Chinese tea masters hailed as the finest tea utensils. These bowls would later come to be known as Tenmoku. Tenmoku bowls were prized for the beautiful contrast between the bubbles and dark glaze when the tea was brewed, for their thick glaze and construction which helped retain the heat of the tea, and for their recessed edges which helped prevent the vigorously whipped tea from spilling. These Chinese bowls were prized by the upper classes of Japan at the time, and imitations of the Tenmoku style began to be made domestically.
Centuries later, the style of Japanese tea ceremony shifted from the grand and formal aesthetic of China to a simpler, more austere and solemn spirit of wabi tea. In this new style, Korean ido tea bowls became particularly popular. With their rough and simple form, earthy clay color and uneven shape, ido tea bowls offered a fascinating contrast to the ornateness of Tenmoku tea bowls. In Korea, these bowls were familiar to peasants as everyday utensils, but in Japan they were highly valued as works of art embodying the wabi spirit. The act of making tea elevated the humble peasant bowls to valuable tea bowls.
Sen no Rikyu, the most famous figure in the history of Japanese tea ceremony, took this concept of "wabi" a step further and developed the Raku tea bowl. While Tenmoku and Ido tea bowls were formed on a potter's wheel, Raku tea bowls are characterized by their free-form shapes, which are hand-formed, and have a subtly distorted form. Finished with simple red and black glazes, Raku tea bowls embody Rikyu's simple aesthetic of tea and were the first domestically produced products to establish a uniquely Japanese aesthetic sense.
What is a good tea bowl?
In addition to aesthetic elements, practical requirements are also important in defining a "good tea bowl." Tea bowl design reflects the potter's skill in balancing artistic expression with practicality. Specifically, the following elements are taken into consideration:
Size and Shape
A tea bowl should not be too small or too large for making tea. A diameter of 11 to 16 cm (optimum is about 13 cm) is considered ideal. It should also not be too shallow, nor too deep so that the tea whisk cannot reach it. The design of the foot is also important, and must meet the requirement of being able to hold the tea bowl steadily in one hand.
Weight and Balance
If the tea bowl is too light it will not be stable, and if it is too heavy it will be difficult to drink from. Good balance is particularly important, and for example, a Tenmoku tea bowl has an elegant shape but is prone to tipping over.
Glaze and texture
The edges and inner glaze should be smooth and not cause discomfort or damage when drinking from or using the tea whisk.
Anatomy of a Tea Bowl
In a cross-section of a typical Raku tea bowl, the following features are of particular interest:
- Kuchizukuri : The edge that the lips touch
- Dou : The wall of the bowl
- Koshi : The transition from the wall to the base
- Koudai : The bottom part of the foot
- Chakinzure : The part that is wiped with a tea towel
- Chasenzure : The part that the tea whisk touches
- Chadamari : The depression at the bottom where leftover tea collects
As mentioned above, tea bowls are works of art that combine aesthetics and practicality, and can be said to symbolize the spirit of the Japanese tea ceremony. Furthermore, tea bowls are increasingly attracting attention as a unique art form in Western ceramic art.