''Chagama'' (茶釜, " tea kettle") is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

term referring to the metal pot or kettle used in the

Japanese tea ceremony The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or ) is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . While in the West it is known as "tea ceremony", it is se ...

. ''Kama'' are made of

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

, and are used to heat the water used to make tea.

Description

In the

tea room A teahouse (mainly Asia) or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment whic ...

, the ''kama'' is either heated over a portable

brazier A brazier () is a container used to burn charcoal or other solid fuel for cooking, heating or cultural rituals. It often takes the form of a metal box or bowl with feet. Its elevation helps circulate air, feeding oxygen to the fire. Braziers h ...

(風炉 ''furo'') or in a sunken

hearth A hearth () is the place in a home where a fire is or was traditionally kept for home heating and for cooking, usually constituted by at least a horizontal hearthstone and often enclosed to varying degrees by any combination of reredos (a lo ...

(''ro'') built into the floor of the tea room, depending on the season.Sen, Soshitsu. ''The Japanese Way of Tea'', New York/Tokyo: Weatherhill, 1979 ''Kama'' are often round or cylindrical, and have a lug on each side, for inserting metal handles called ''kan''. These are used to carry the ''kama'' and/or hang it over the ''ro''. Otherwise, or when using a brazier, a

tripod A tripod is a portable three-legged frame or stand, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. The three-legged (triangular stance) design provides good stability against gravitational loads ...

may be used to support the kettle over the heat source (Sen, 1979, p. 22). There are also brazier sets in which the ''kama'' is designed to be used without a tripod. ''Kama'' (釜) is a Japanese term meaning metal pot or kettle. The specific term for a ''kama'' used in the Japanese tea ceremony is ''chagama'' (茶釜, "tea kettle"). ''Kama'' are made of cast iron or copper and are used to heat the water used to make tea. The ''ro'' (sunken hearth) is used during autumn and winter when it is cold. In the Tatami flooring of the tea rooming a hole is created to put the kama in, over the fire. This hole is surrounded by a box-like frame called the robuchi (炉縁, ''ro frame''). The Kama in such a hole will warm up faster and stay warm longer. Moreover, it provides an image of warmth during the colder seasons. In case of the ''ro'', the incense used is called ''Neriko'' (練香), which are small kneaded balls from a mixture of woods, spices, and herbs, instead of ''Kouboku'' (香木) incense made from aromatic wood, used in spring and summer. The ''furo'' (portable brazier) is used during spring and summer. They have a variety of shapes and the earliest ones were made of bronze but later iron and clay braziers became more common. The unglazed clay Furo coated with black lacquer was preferred for formal use. It was placed on a lacquered board to prevent heat damage. The iron type was set on a paving tile. A bed of ashes, called Hai (灰), is laid beforehand inside the ''furo'' and the ''sumi'' placed on top is lit. On the edge of a Furo a fire window or cut-out opening provides the necessary draft to keep the Sumi (charcoal) burning properly. The Kama is then set directly on the bronze or iron brazier, but a trivet is used for a clay brazier. ''Kama'' for ''furo'' are slightly smaller than those used for ''ro'' (Sen, 1979, p. 22). The preparation ritual will be slightly different when using the ''ro'' or the ''furo'', but the basics are the same.

References

* Sen, Soshitsu. ''The Japanese Way of Tea'', New York/Tokyo: Weatherhill, 1979.pg 22 {{Authority control Japanese tea utensils

Description

See also

References