Vintage japanese bizen matcha tea bowl, bizen matcha chawan, tea hotsell ceremony chawan

hotsell Love Japanese Style Like We Do

vintage japanese bizen matcha tea bowl, bizen matcha chawan, tea ceremony chawan

(listing for boxed tea bowl only)

A nice bizen ware tea bowl. It has a smooth feel to the hands and a lovely rustic earthy color. Random lighter gray toned markings on the outside of the bowl, resulting from the bizen firing process, make a striking accent. The inside bottom of the bowl has an attractive iridescent line pattern. There is a slight indented ridge just below the lip of the bowl, allowing for comfortable cupping of the hands around the chawan.

The tea bowl is inscribed on the base with the artist's signature, Nobuyoshi. It comes in it's original wooden storage box with a yellow wrapping cloth. The box is also signed on the inside of the lid. The bowl is in very good vintage condition with no cracks or chips.

Enjoy drinking Japanese matcha tea in this lovely hand made bowl. The Japanese say that a tea bowl becomes more beautiful with use. The oil from the hands and the green of the matcha gradually seep into the bowl's surface giving it a rich color and luster. Some tea ceremony teachers say a cheaper bowl, used frequently, can even look more beautiful than an expensive, rarely used chawan!

- tea bowl measures 7.5 cm (2.9”) tall x 12 cm (4.7”) in diameter.
- box measures 15 cm (5.9”) x 15 cm (5.9”) x 12.5 cm (4.9”).
- weighs 750 gm.

To see other tea bowls or other tea ceremony related items, click on this link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/JapanDownUnder?ref=shop_sugg§ion_id=26711081

Click this link to see the shikishi art board and frame: https://www.etsy.com/shop/JapanDownUnder?ref=shop_sugg§ion_id=26130116

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BIZEN WARE
Bizen pottery is one of the most famous types of Japanese pottery with a history that stretches back over a 1000 years. Bizen pottery doesn't use ornate coloring or painting it uses only the natural patterns created by the clay and the firing technique. Because of this the shape and character of each piece is different making every Bizen ceramic unique.

Bizen is named after the village of Imbe, Bizen in Okayama prefecture. Bizen is one of the Six Ancient Kilns in Japan. It experienced its peak during the Momoyama period of the 16th century. During the Edo period, the Ikeda lords of Okayama continued to support the kilns and gave special privileges to families who operated them. The rustic quality of Bizen made it popular for use in Japanese tea ceremony. After modernization began during the Meiji era in the 19th century, Bizen almost disappeared along with many other traditional crafts. It experienced a revival in the 1930's and in 1982 was designated a traditional Japanese craft by the government.

It is made using either a mixture of two kinds of clays with different densities, or rough clay that has a rich, deep, reddish brown color. Pottery pieces are placed in a climbing kiln (noborigama) and pine wood is used as fuel. Climbing kilns are set up on hillside terraces in a step-like manner. The position of the pottery inside the kiln changes the firing conditions, so that nobody can predict how each piece will turn out!

Some artists like their kiln temperature at 600 degrees celsius, while others prefer more than 1,200 degrees. Some of the pieces end up destroyed inside the kiln after burning for more than 7 days. On the other hand some can turn out to be masterpieces! Because of it's color and simplicity Bizen ware is so versatile and easy to use.

CHAWAN
The chawan originated in China. The earliest chawan in Japan were imported from China between the 13th and the 16th centuries.

The Jian chawan, a Chinese tea bowl known as Tenmoku chawan in Japan, was the preferred tea bowl for the Japanese tea ceremony until the 16th century. The Japanese word tenmoku comes from the name of the Tianmu Mountain, where Japanese priests got these tea bowls from Chinese temples to bring back to Japan.

By the end of the Kamakura period (1185–1333), as the custom of tea drinking spread throughout Japan and the Tenmoku chawan became desired by all ranks of society, the Japanese began to make their own copies in Seto (Aichi Prefecture). The Japanese particularly liked the bowls with a tapered shape, so most Seto-made Tenmoku chawan had this shape.

With the rise of the wabi tea ceremony in the late Muromachi period (1336–1573), the Ido chawan, kinds of Korean bowls mainly used for rice, also became highly prized in Japan. Korean bowls were a favourite of tea master Sen no Rikyū because of their rough simplicity.

Over time and with the development of the Japanese tea ceremony as a distinct form, local ceramics became more highly prized and developed. Around the Edo period, the chawan was often made in Japan. The most esteemed pieces for a tea ceremony chawan are Raku ware, Hagi ware, and Karatsu ware.