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Whoa! Very nice, Vega!! Looks like tortoise shell.

GreenwoodStudio wrote:Whoa! Very nice, Vega!! Looks like tortoise shell.

+1
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... CC0Q9QEwBg

gorgeous piece Vega, which tea do you enjoy pairing it with?

victoria3 wrote:gorgeous piece Vega, which tea do you enjoy pairing it with?

Thanks! I went Korean with the pairing -- around the same time I picked up the bowl, there was a free tasting at Osulloc tea shop nearby. They were sampling a roasted green, which was really pleasant. Took a sip, walked out, then 20 minutes later I was back in buying a pack.

I've also got a Jung-Jak, although the roasted green is my favorite so far.

brandon wrote:The style looks like a modern take on a very old Chinese style. The Japanese refer to this as tenmoku. Original name is tianmu.

Thanks for the background info. I've never heard of these styles before, but after some Googling, I found some tenmoku pictures that resemble this. The spots must be "Yuteki", which is caused by excess iron oxide.

It seems to be a rare style, really wish I could meet the artisan and get to know his interests and inspirations.

Here is a book:

http://www.amazon.com/Hares-Fur-Tortois ... 0916724883

it is nice.

Vega,
Congrats. She is pretty. Do you remember which shop, or where it was?

Ting,
Belated congrats. That is a great cup. I want it! ("Covet not another's teaware"...) The three spots inside are from a traditional way of stacking the cups on top of each other with little tripod things, in the kiln. They don't have to stack like that anymore, but it is tradition so lots of folks do.

needaTEAcher wrote:Vega,
Congrats. She is pretty. Do you remember which shop, or where it was?

The shop was on Insadong-gil. If you're walking from Tapgol Park, the shop would be about halfway down the street, on your right side. Unfortunately I didn't take a photo of the outside of the shop, but I can private message you with a photo of the interior and owners.

Here in Sacramento the city has a wonderful import store. This is where I first saw quality, handmade Korean teaware. The store owners traveled to Korea going from pottery village to pottery village searching for Celadon masters and met Jae Sup Jee and his contemporaries. I have bought many pieces from them over the years (mostly as gifts to friends), which turned out to be beneficial since the supply is diminishing due to a lack of qualified students coming up under these older masters. Here is a link to a great rundown on Korean Celadon full of rich information. I have one of Jae Sup Jee's pieces and two other pieces from other artisans. (http://www.zanzibartribalart.com/korean_celadon.htm)
Three shots of one piece I have yet to use:



Another piece:

Buncheong bowl by Hong Seong Il.
Big thanks to Tead Off.

That is so strongly reminiscent of the antique Korean bowls recently posted or linked to elsewhere--very humble in spirit. Lovely!

My first brewing vessel was the plain, very inexpensive 'Koryo" celadon cup from Rishi. It's big enough that I can wrap both hands around it (I think 10-12 oz), heavy and somehow very soothing in hand - it conducts a surprising amount of heat and I actually like the hand-warming. It reminds me of a sun-warmed river stone, so smooth and weighty. But what's really nice is the way it's gradually crackled. I don't use it so often any more (everything gets smaller and smaller in tea-land, doesn't it?) so will have to soak it in tea to really get that going. I think a very nice casual cup for sipping outdoors on a snowy day!
Those old, darkly veined and irregular pieces are really beautiful. Some really nice ones that I can't quite afford pop up on e-bay. Love looking in here!

I totally fell for these crackle glaze beauties which are perfect for gong fu cha on the go: Two white Korean mushroom-shape teacups with lid, saucer and strainer.

I've played with many very similar. I love how they stain after heavy use!

needaTEAcher wrote:I've played with many very similar. I love how they stain after heavy use!

That's what I'm desperately waiting for.