Used for serving a single fresh moist sweet (namagashi) to a guest, this plate employs a colorful green motif depicting flower-viewing dumplings (hanami-dango). These skewered, steamed rice dumplings are common during Kyoto's Miyako-odori, a dance...
Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]
Tetsubin are small iron kettles with an integral handle that can be used in a variety of more informal tea procedures. Rather than using a ladle (hishaku) to pour the hot water into the teabowl, the host lifts and pours water directly from the...
This square ceramic dish is perfectly suited for a serving dish during the kaiseki meal that accompanies a formal tea gathering (chaji). Fashioned in the Oribe style, with its distinctive green glaze and bold designs, it depicts a single flower in...
Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Trays -- Japan [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh];
This square try (yohoubon) is one of a smaller size used when a utensil, such as a thick tea caddy or an incense burner, is to be specially featured in a temae.
Tenmoku teabowls (chawans) - either historical Chinese (karamono) originals or those modeled on them - usually rest on a lacquer stand, either formal black shin nuri as shown here or in a more decorative style. This is partly because they have a...
Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]
This unlacquered paulownia box is designed to hold both a ceramic caddy for thick tea (chaire) and lacquered caddy for thick tea (natsume) for the satsubako tea procedure (temae), one of a set of four orally transmitted temae. When a guest...
Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]; tea caddies [lcsh]
The 14th generation Urasenke master Tantansai (1893-1964) designed this unlacquered nakatsugi of mulberry wood to be used by students studying the wakin temae. The wakin temae, created by 11th generation Urasanke master Gengensai (1810-1877),...
Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]; Tea caddies [lcsh]
This middle-sized ( chu) natsume, in the formal (shin-nuri) style, is a classic example of the genre. Here, the natsume is paired with an otsubukuro - a small silk bag shaped like those formerly used for rice from Otsu intended for the imperial...
Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]; Tea caddies [lcsh]
This chaire in the daikai shape is paired with a cover (shifuku) made of a beautiful donsu fabric featuring motifs of plum, cherry, and tortoise shell. Shifuku for this style of chaire are tied with a special knot designed to fall open with one...
Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]; Tea caddies [lcsh]
This chaire is typical of the glazed containers (modeled on early imported Chinese wares) used to hold powdered thick tea. This example is fashioned in the high-shouldered (katatsuki) shape, and features a glaze typical of the Seto kilns. The silk...
Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]; Tea caddies [lcsh]
This Japanese-made chaire is intended to resemble a highly valued Chinese bunrin or apple-shaped tea caddy. It is paired with a cover (shifuku) of blue and gold sasazuru donsu, bearing the auspicious pine, bamboo, and plum motif which symbolizes...
Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]; Tea caddies [lcsh]
This chaire is fashioned in the popular high-shouldered (katatsuki) form with glaze work typical of the Zeze kilns. The shifuku (cover) that accompanies it is fashioned from a satin (donsu) fabric known as Fujitane (a family name), which bears a...
Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]; Tea caddies [lcsh]
This natsume features a design of bush clover (hagi) and pampas grass (suzuki) that suggests the autumn season. They are two of the seven autumn grasses. Maki-e.
Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]; Tea caddies [lcsh]
This natsume is decorated in the clouds and brocade (unkin or kumonishiki) pattern, depicting cherry blossoms and maple leaves. The design suggests the passing of time, or the ephemeral nature of existence - a quality that takes the motif beyond...
Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]; Tea caddies [lcsh]
The distinctive koma design used for this natsume is of Southeast Asian origin. The design has a long history of use in Japan. The Japanese name for the pattern likens it to a spinning top.
Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]; Tea caddies [lcsh]
This small-sized (ko-hira) natsume was often used by its owner for chabako temae and is decorated with a wild orchid motif. It is very skillfully made, representing many hours of work on the part of the craftsperson. The natsume is accompanied here...
Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]; Tea caddies [lcsh]
This high-shouldered chaire (katatsuki) is housed in a patterned silk cover (shifuku) known as sasazuru donsu, featuring the auspicious pine, bamboo, and plum motif, which symbolizes long life, nobility, and hope. Seto ware (Seto-yaki)
Japanese tea ceremony [lcsh]; Tea making paraphernalia [lcsh]
The chakin is a small white linen cloth that is used to clean and dry the teabowl. In the process of cleansing, the chakin also acts to purify the object it touches. The chakin is seen here folded in the traditional manner, as it would be used in...
Kobukusa are small, square, silk cloths placed between tea utensils and the hand or floor. They are sometimes used to protect the hands from heat when a non raku-style teabowl (e.g., Hagi, Karatsu, Ido) is chosen for thick tea (koicha) service. ...
