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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by Petr Novák » Feb 25th, '10, 11:31

I only fill in some points. Chawan means genaraly tea(CHA) bowl(WAN). Rarely you can also find names like MaChaWan (bowl for macha), SenChaWan(for sencha), KukiChaWan and so on. Yunomi is also define like cup which is higher then wider and is intend to be for leaf tea (not powdered)

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by davidv7 » Feb 26th, '10, 04:52

Thank You for Your clarifications!
Then we have sorted out the Yunomi (which is cilindrical taller than wider and the Wan the other way around).
Now I measured a cup of Bizen which I bought on eBay and it holds 180 ml (about 6oz) - I bought it like a sake cup is this too big for a sake cup?
Haven`t the japanese a rigorous distinction between guinomi and Yunomi?
I am also aware of the sakazuki which have a conical shallow shape.

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by JBaymore » Feb 27th, '10, 10:35

davidv7 wrote: .......I bought it like a sake cup is this too big for a sake cup?
David,

Depends on how much you like Nihonshu (sake). :wink:

best,

..............john

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by Chip » Feb 27th, '10, 10:46

I see a lot of cross naming on ebay. That would be realllllly big guinomi.

I use a lot of guinomi for tea, so at the end of the day, what it is called does not matter much to me. I simply pick the size and shape and style I like.

There are a lot of name combinations as well, such as Ippukuwan which is an intermediate sized wan. Chawan can arguably be any sized tea bowl, but we generally use it for the larger matcha-wan. But be careful on ebay, I have seen chawan and tea bowl used to describe smaller bowls.

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by davidv7 » Mar 12th, '10, 07:55

Thank You all.
@John - I am looking to try sake for the first time, but here in EU it is not very common.
@Chip
I bought all this stuff from two reputable ebayers (Magokorodo and Katsuragi).
However I learned that it is very difficult even for the japanese to distinguish their own products or even what is written in their own language. :)
Thanks again to all and at the end of the day it is really what You dio with the stuff You own that counts.
d

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by Chip » Mar 12th, '10, 08:36

davidv7 wrote:Thank You all.
@John - I am looking to try sake for the first time, but here in EU it is not very common.
@Chip
I bought all this stuff from two reputable ebayers (Magokorodo and Katsuragi).
However I learned that it is very difficult even for the japanese to distinguish their own products or even what is written in their own language. :)
Thanks again to all and at the end of the day it is really what You dio with the stuff You own that counts.
d
Thanks for the reply.

IMHO, you do need to be careful with "Kats" as not all is as it appears, and the descriptions often have errors in them. And not everything is "around 30 years old" as they claim. If I buy from them, I like the piece, period. And I have bought from them on around 10 ocassions.

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by Chip » Mar 13th, '10, 19:49

A little help from our artisans is needed.

Could you clarify terms in firing as they relate to the pictured Kyusu-s, please? Yohen, and reduction firing in regards to Japanese techniques. Thank you all most kindly. :mrgreen:

Post here, there, everywhere!

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... 43#p148543

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by Petr Novák » Mar 14th, '10, 04:49

Hi Chip,

According to book written by Masakazu Kusakabe(Japan) and Marc Lancet(USA) Yohen means generally wood-fire effects. Literally, it translates as "Changed by fire" or more poetically "blessed by the kiln". They describe several basic kinds of yohen with whole terminology. If you are interested in some particular name of some particular effect post please pictures of it here and I will try to designate it. I am not expert but I am interested in to it.

The name of the book is Japanese Wood-fired Ceramics- I love it

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by rjiwrth » Mar 14th, '10, 10:51

Petr Novák wrote:Hi Chip,

According to book written by Masakazu Kusakabe(Japan) and Marc Lancet(USA) Yohen means generally wood-fire effects. Literally, it translates as "Changed by fire" or more poetically "blessed by the kiln". They describe several basic kinds of yohen with whole terminology. If you are interested in some particular name of some particular effect post please pictures of it here and I will try to designate it. I am not expert but I am interested in to it.

The name of the book is Japanese Wood-fired Ceramics- I love it
That's the way I understood Yohen after briefly researching it. It seems more of a concept of what "happens" in the kiln as a result of wood-fire and even some metaphysical variables..the results are endless...at least that is my understanding. What brought this up was my recent purchase of a kyusu, which the seller described as "yohen technique", but we were not sure if this was correct. Could you take a look at my pot and comment what you think over at:
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... 5&start=45

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by Herb_Master » Mar 14th, '10, 15:22

Do any of our artisans make or contemplate making Fair Cups (aka Justice Cups or Small Pitchers)

I think a lot of our teaware topics on Tea Chat are driven by our Green Tea community where the pitcher is not so important, but with all the wonderful Chawan and more - inspired by Green Tea and Japanese culture - I am jealous that there is so little scope for the Gong Fu practitioner. There are a few Fair cups available, and the Sea Cucumber Sake Cups from Magokorodo/Seigan were sublime - but I keep searching for a little more magic to add to my Fair Cup collection.

I have a large collection of Yixing teapots and only about 4 Fair Cups. Some of my teapots empty perfectly into one or other of my fair cups, but with other teapots I feel I do not have the right size Fair cup to do the job aesthetically perfectly.

whilst noting that some artisans only make one-offs of their creations others are not adverse to making sets of small tea cups and tea bowls and sake cups.

what would really excite me is to be able to build up a collection of Fair cups and Oolong/Sake cups.

I have some 150 ml and 200 ml Fair cups and would really be looking for other volumes to fill the gaps.

Let us say - a 175 ml Fair cup and three 55 ml sake cups with the same sense of identity

Or a 190 ml Fair cup and three 60ml sake cups

Or a 110 ml Fair Cup with 2 50 ml Sake Cups

Alternatively forget the Sake cups a collection of three Fair Cups at 130 ml, 160 ml and 190 ml!

My current limitations mean that sometimes my tea strainer is sitting in the almost full Fair Cup with the level above the strainer, whilst the last few drops are emptied into the teapot - or else the Fair cup is so large that there is an excessive cooling effect on the liquor that charges the very last cup.

If I were drinking with 2 friends and we wanted to charge our 50ml cups twice each - then a teapot and fair cup of 300 ml would be needed but almost immediately as we commence on our first sip - the faircup is half empty allowing the liquor that will provide our 2nd cup to cool.

Note that the fair cup would be preheated.

Are there any particular clay bodies (with or without special internal or external glazing) that retain heat for longer?

Are there any aesthetically pleasing shapes to a pitcher that would present the most minimal air surface when the vessel is more or less half empty ?


Artistic effects are best left to the creator, but I would tend to want pale or near white interiors to allow best appreciation of the colour of the liquor!

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by Geekgirl » Mar 14th, '10, 15:41

Interesting question. Personally, I use only glass faircups, I have 3 of varying shapes. It honestly had not occurred to me to use anything different, but now that you ask the question... :shock: :lol:

As far as cooling, and as long as you want to go with a custom faircup/pitcher, why not have a small "plate" made (little concave disk) that fits in the mouth of the pitcher between pours? I often use a very small cup (15ml or 30ml) set over the pitcher to retain a little of the heat. In fact you could double up your usage, by making the dish usable as the cha he (?).

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by Chip » Mar 14th, '10, 15:53

OK, we have two questions running here. I would still like to hear more about Yohen and Reduction as posted before HerbMaster. :mrgreen:

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by Herb_Master » Mar 14th, '10, 15:54

Geekgirl wrote:Interesting question. Personally, I use only glass faircups, I have 3 of varying shapes. It honestly had not occurred to me to use anything different, but now that you ask the question... :shock: :lol:
I have porcelain fair cups [Bamboo motif, Goldfish motif] but want more interesting clay ones :roll: I sometimes use a 200ml Glass teapot over a candle warmer when drinking slowly in the garden :D
Geekgirl wrote: As far as cooling, and as long as you want to go with a custom faircup/pitcher, why not have a small "plate" made (little concave disk) that fits in the mouth of the pitcher between pours? I often use a very small cup (15ml or 30ml) set over the pitcher to retain a little of the heat. In fact you could double up your usage, by making the dish usable as the cha he (?).
Good ideas, if an Artisan made a fair cup with a decent shoulder half way down there could be a complimentary item resembling a teapot lid to perform the function!.



And when I am sated with fair Cups I will be looking to build a collection of Tea Strainers I only have 4 at the moment! :twisted:

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by Chip » Mar 14th, '10, 15:58

Geekgirl wrote:Interesting question. Personally, I use only glass faircups, I have 3 of varying shapes. It honestly had not occurred to me to use anything different, but now that you ask the question... :shock: :lol:

As far as cooling, and as long as you want to go with a custom faircup/pitcher, why not have a small "plate" made (little concave disk) that fits in the mouth of the pitcher between pours? I often use a very small cup (15ml or 30ml) set over the pitcher to retain a little of the heat. In fact you could double up your usage, by making the dish usable as the cha he (?).
+1 on every point actually. I currently use inexpesive glass creamers that come in various sizes of the same style. The glass is thicker which retains the heat and I usually stick a small cup over the opening to hold in more heat ... and aroma. Sometimes it is a cup that I am actually using to drink ... also an inexpensive Chinese porcelain cup.

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by Petr Novák » Mar 14th, '10, 16:09

Dear Herb_Master,

I am presently working of fair cups and oolong cups- it is very interesting field of tea ware for me like a potter and it also fits to my drinking manners.

Here are some fair cups from older firings and I you are interested in to my style I can put some new pictures later on. Every comment is welcome- I would like to make progress by yours perceptions
fair cup.jpg
fair cup.jpg (10.99 KiB) Viewed 4397 times
fair cups.jpg
fair cups.jpg (13.55 KiB) Viewed 4397 times
And here is link to some of my tea cup for oolongs:http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=12296

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