Digital Collections

- "Heart washed pure" calligraphy
- Calligraphy, Japanese [lcsh]; Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]
- Inscription reads "senshin" in Japanese or "heart washed pure" in English.
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- "Moon over the River" calligraphy
- Calligraphy, Japanese [lcsh]
- Inscription reads "Kogetsu sei fu shin chu ni ari" which translates to "Moon over the river, pure wind, these are in the heart."
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- A visitor bows in respect to the body of Robert T. Matsui U.S. Representative Robert T. Matsui
- Asian American legislators; Matsui, Robert T., 1941 -- Photographs; Matsui, Robert T., 1941 -- Death and burial; Funeral rites and ceremonies;
- U.S. Representative Robert T. Matsui lies in state in the California State Capitol building rotunda. Robert T. Matsui passed on January 1, 2005. He was elected to Congress in 1978 and served 14 two-year terms.
- Robert Matsui Legacy
- Ash container for charcoal temae
- Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]; Raku pottery [lcsh]
- Furo season ash container (haiki), in green raku glaze with gold highlights, for charcoal temae.
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- Ash spoon
- Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh];
- Furo season ash spoon (haisaji) made of bronze with handle wrapped in bamboo sheath. This style was known to have been favored by Sen Rikyu (1522-1591).
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- Bamboo tea whisk
- Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]; Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Implements, utensils, etc. [lcsh]
- Bamboo tea whisk (chasen) with 100 tines. This type of whisk with fine tines is suitable for use in usucha or thin tea.
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- Bizen-style vase with crane's neck design
- Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Bizen pottery [lcsh]; Vases [lcsh]
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- Black incense container for furo season
- Incense burners and containers [lcsh]; Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]
- Black lacquer incense container (kogo) with Wisteria crest in gold lacquer. Note how the crest also references the image of a butterfly.
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- Blue and white Sometsuke fresh water jar
- Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]
- This fresh water container, in the style of Chinese ceramics, creates a strong sense of formality. The use of this fresh water jar would be limited to utensil stands (tana, nagaita, or daisu).
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- Blue fabric mounted scroll
- Scrolls [lcsh]
- Scroll reads "Shoufuu issetsu ni kusu" which translated into English means "With one sip I drink in the pine wind." The source of the quote is from the late Southern Sung priest Kaiseki Chihou's poem titled "Keizan sencha". Keizan refers to a...
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- Brazier and kettle set
- Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]; Braziers [lcsh];
- This iron kettle (furo) is paired with a particular kettle (kama) as a set. It is crafted in the kimen style, supported by three legs in a tripod formation. The use of iron rather than bronze evokes an informal feeling. An opening at the front and...
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- Brazier for small kettle
- Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]; Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Braziers [lcsh]
- Bizen-style, natural ash glad brazier in the shape known as benibachi. The small size makes it suitable for supporting the handled kettle used in chabako.
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- Brazier with calligraphy
- Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]; Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Braziers [lcsh]
- Iron brazier (furo) on round wood baseboard. This example is unusual in that it does not have any opening for air to enter and feed the fire.
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- Bronze brazier
- Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]; Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Braziers [lcsh]
- Bronze brazier (furo) in the shape known as Doanburo. Sen Doan, son of the renowned teamaster Sen Rikyu favored this shape, hence its name.
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- Brown fabric mounted scroll
- Scrolls [lcsh]
- Scrolls reads "Myouju, tanagokoro ni ari" which translated into English means "The bright jewel is within the palm of your hand." The source of the quote is Hekiganroku (The Blue Cliff Record). The term Myouju refers to Buddha nature. There is no...
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- Card game
- Card games--Japan [lcsh]
- A "card game" for the Way of Tea, modeled after a favorite New Year's game known as the "One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each" (Hyakunin Isshu). There are several versions of the original game, one in which the name and portrait of the poet appears on...
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- Ceramic lid rest
- Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Implements, utensils, etc. [lcsh]
- Ceramic lid rest (futaoki) with stylized pattern of pine trees. Ceramic lid rests are used in conjunction with various types of utensil stands, as they are considered to be more formal than bamboo lid rests.
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- Charcoal basket
- Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh];
- Charcoal basket (sumitori) made in the style of a charcoal basket owned by Sen Rikyu. This style is known by the name of the original, Aburatake Sumitori. Literally meaning "oiled bamboo," aburatake is an old name for smoked bamboo from which the...
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- Chopsticks
- Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Chopsticks [lcsh]
- Chopsticks such as these are typically offered with a serving dish, providing a means for guests to transfer the food to their bowls during the formal kaiseki meal. The chopsticks are usually soaked in water beforehand to prevent foods from...
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection
- Cloth (fukusa) with striped pattern for purifying tea utensils
- Fukusa [lcsh]
- This fukusa is decorated with soft orange, white, and yellow stripes on a pink ground. Just as the fan (sensu) has come to represent the guest, the fukusa serves to signify the host's role in a tea gathering. The informality of decorated fukusa...
- Sokiku Nakatani Japanese Teaware Collection