Help With Chawans?

[mganz42]

Hi there!
I've been drinking Chinese tea for a while, but I only just started diving into the deep and complex world of Japanese tea ware. I recently acquired these chawans and I have no idea what they are, how to use them, or how to take care of them.

They are significantly larger than any chawan I've ever used for Matcha... how much water are these meant to hold, and how would I use the whisk? Or are these meant for brewing loose leaves "grandpa style?"

And are these porous clays that need to be washed in a way other than rinsing in the sink? Like hagi (which I do not understand)?

Your advice would be appreciated!

[mganz42]

First Chawan

[mganz42]

Second Chawan (Bizen Yaki, supposedly by Toho Kimura)

[mganz42]

Third Chawan (supposedly antique shino)

[mganz42]

Fourth Chawan

[rdl]

mganz42,
These are normal chawan that are used with matcha. Take a look on youtube for how-to's and you'll have your water, whisk and other questions answered. It isn't very complicated as you are already familiar with matcha.
The first bowl, the wider and less tall chawan, is a summer bowl. It's a bit trickier to whisk in, as it is less deep. Practice makes perfect...

"And are these porous clays that need to be washed in a way other than rinsing in the sink? Like hagi (which I do not understand)?"
Just rinse in hot water and dry thoroughly. And a question to your question: what don't you understand about hagi?

These are beautiful bowls, I hope you will use and enjoy them.

[Noahwhiteman24]

Beautiful! Especially number four, I have a soft spot for crawling shino... Chawans don't need to be filled all the way with water. Matcha is very sensitive to personal preference, and oftentimes having some extra space in the bowl to prevent splashing whilst you're whisking can be nice. In terms of care, *never* use soap or any kind of scented liquid anything on it. The nubbly clay tends to absorb the smells and it can be hard to get out. Similar to yixing but to a much lesser degree. I also like to preheat my bowls with hot tap water before heating with the water I'm going to use for matcha as an extra safety precaution to rapid temperature change, but that's just me. Enjoy!

[mganz42]

rdl, I've always been a little confused about hagi ware. People always mention how it's supposed to be cared for in certain ways, but I've never seen it fully explained. I thought the fourth chawan looked like some examples of hagi that people have posted, but I couldn't identify it because I've never seen hagi in person.
Of course, Noahwhiteman24 says it's crawling shino so I suppose I don't need to worry about it.
Thanks for the help!

[Noahwhiteman24]

Actually, it can be both! Hagi yaki refers to the type of nubbly clay used to make these wares. The high sand content means high porousity. Some can even be so lose as to "sweat" a little bit of water while they're new, before their cracks get filled with minerals. Care involved is somewhere between yixing and porcalain. Only wash it with water, and avoid contact with smelly soaps. I also would not let tea sit in it for too long, but unless you're doing that for 18+ hours you should be fine. Matcha is a fresh product that should be refrigerated, so you should also not let residue sit in the bowl for longer than that after a session either. Handle it like you would any unglazed tea ware.
Shino refers to the type of glaze used but not necessarily to the type of clay. Shino is characterized as a feldspar based glaze which, as in this case, is able to shrink at a different rate than the clay, making the crawling pattern. I hope this helps!

[JBaymore]

JAPANESE Shino glaze does not tend to crawl (nor carbon trap).... it is pinholes that you see there that give it the character from the viscous feldspathic glaze. Hi-iro often happens around the edges of the pinholes..... reddish flame color.

American Shino more typically does crawl (and sometimes carbon traps)... it is a very different look than this bowl.

A few American (and other western) potters have figured out a formulation that looks much like the Japanese wares if put on the right body... but very few.

Japanese Shino wares are a combination of the white, high alumina content, slightly non-vitrified clay body and the glaze that is composed o anywhere from 100% of a specific feldspathing rock to a mixture of about 90 of that rock and 10 parts of a kaolin type clay.

best,

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

[Fuut]

American Shino more typically does crawl (and sometimes carbon traps)... it is a very different look than this bowl.

best,

john

Also just for the sake of it a quick example.

[blairswhitaker]

Actually, it can be both! Hagi yaki refers to the type of nubbly clay used to make these wares. !

Hagi or Hagi-Yaki actually refers to pottery from the town of hagi, a town located in yamaguchi. The clay bodies used from local material do tend to have some inclusions, but actually range from smooth to very course oni-hagi, as well as the more standard light colored buff/slightly orange/pink body to a very dark iron rich clay. A wide variety of glazes are used in hagi and are not limited to the common examples dominating these threads, though those traditional rice straw ash and feldspar based glazes are most prominent.

[JBaymore]

Ah... Oni-Hagi....... suki desu yo.

best,

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