Chawan mushi by gaelenh.jpg

A ''chawan'' (; literally "tea bowl") is a bowl used for preparing and drinking tea. Many types of ''chawan'' are used in East Asian tea ceremonies. The choice of their use depends upon many considerations.

History

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. In Japan, tea was also mainly drunk from this Chinese variety of tea bowls until about the 15th century. The Japanese term ''tenmoku'' is derived from the name of the Tianmu Mountain, where Japanese priests acquired these tea bowls from Chinese temples to bring back to Japan, according to tradition.

An 11th-century resident of Fujian wrote about the Jian tea wares:
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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 (in present-day Aichi Prefecture). Although the ''Tenmoku chawan'' was derived from the original Chinese that came in various colors, shapes, and designs, 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'', a variety of Korean bowls mainly used for rice in Korea, also became highly prized in Japan. Korean bowls were a favourite of tea master Sen no Rikyū because of their rough simplicity.Sadler, A.L. ''Cha-No-Yu: The Japanese Tea Ceremony.'' Tokyo: Tuttle, 1962, 67.

Over time and with the development of the Japanese tea ceremony as a distinct form, local ceramics became more highly priced 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. A saying in the tea ceremony schools for the preferred types of ''chawan'' relates: "Raku first, Hagi second, Karatsu third."

Another ''chawan'' type that became slightly popular during the Edo period from abroad was the ''Annan'' ware from Vietnam ( Annam), which were originally used there as rice bowls. Annan ware is blue and white, with a high foot.

Usage

A cloth called '' chakin'' is used to wipe the bowl clean.

Types

Japanese ''chawan'' have various shapes and types, many of which have specific names:
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* – formerly imported from the Korean port of Komogai/ (now part of Jinhae)
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File:Hon'ami Koetsu Fujisan 1.jpg, White raku teabowl ''Fuji-san'' (Mount Fuji) by Honami Kōetsu, Edo period, 17th century National Treasure
File:Hagi Ido teskål - chawan. Tamamura Shogetsu.jpg, Hagi ware bowl
File:Black Raku Tea Bowl.jpg, Black raku bowl used for thick tea, Azuchi-Momoyama period, 16th century
File:Shino teskål - chawan.jpg, Shino ware tea bowl

See also

* List of Japanese tea ceremony utensils
* ''Yunomi'', teacups used in Japan for everyday use

References

External links

JNT, Joy of the Noble Teacup: International Chawan Exhibition

Official page of an international traveling chawan Exhibition A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics
from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Chinese pottery
Food preparation utensils
Japanese tea utensils
Teaware
Pottery shapes