Looking for Chawan

[kigawa]

Thank you for a delightful discussion tread. Seeking a perfect chawan, chawan shopping in Japan, “chawan program”, making your own chawan – these topics really resonate with me.

Just wanted to add that I started making chawans myself, even sold some of them (around $30 mark). This journey is just like tingjunkie’s shopping for a perfect chawan. None of my chawans really satisfy me. May be I am just not talented enough and “beginner’s luck” and “happy accidents” didn’t work for me.

Maitre_Tea, buying your chawan and not making it yourself was wise.

[tingjunkie]

Welcome to the forum kigawa! I would love to see some pics of the chawans you made if you have any.

Since all chawans are made for the same ultimate purpose, it's a lot of fun to see how artists (or even us amateurs) add their own style and personality while staying within certain boundaries.

[kigawa]

Welcome to the forum kigawa! I would love to see some pics of the chawans you made if you have any.

Since all chawans are made for the same ultimate purpose, it's a lot of fun to see how artists (or even us amateurs) add their own style and personality while staying within certain boundaries.

Thank you tingjunkie. Here is one that is not too bad. It was fired in a wood fired kiln for nearly a day. Its surface is just bare clay with a thin layer of molten ash that settled on it in the kiln during firing and formed a natural glaze. This chawan is an imitation of some of the bowls by Chojiro, but in stoneware rather than raku. Its main flaw is that it is too heavy. Exactly the same chawan in raku would have been lighter due to the porous nature of raku fired clay.

chawan-8.jpg

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[bonjiri]

I'm planning to delve into the world of matcha, mostly because I'm mostly fascinated with Chawan and the ceremonial aspect of preparing matcha. I've been snooping around on past chawan-related threads, and I've found some websites I might order from. I also see some people putting emphasis on actually holding the chawan in person.

I would love to do this, especially since I'm a newbie, but where could one find a brick-and-mortar store in say...southern California (specifically around LA). Also, do you think there would be a massive price difference between buying one online and buying one from a store? Also, I would love any additional advice from the collective wisdom of TeaChat.

aloha maitre tea

the quest for a chawan is like the quest for making a good chawan.

from the perspective of a 'maker' that is constantly making, inspired by chinese, korean and japanese ancestry is just a beginning. it is a lifelong quest to create something that will be used.

ceremony aside. tea bowls or 'matcha jawan' were originally created as mass produced 'peasant ware' in korea and china. it was only the few first tea masters (sen no rikyu and others) that were able to have a discerning eye to select pieces made in korea/china that exhibited 'wabi sabi' and or 'shibui' characteristics that could function as tea ware. these unknown craftspeople were amazing artisans without signed work.

one key point that photographs that can't illustrate is balance. in my few travels to shows in japan and abroad. one needs to hold a 'bowl' that you want to use in tea. the weight and balance is subjective. one person in enjoying tea might need a thicker chadamari area to project the hands in 'otemae' from hot tea. another person would subjectively require the piece to fit a smaller hand/s. the trend i've seen in the last 50 years is that teaware is becoming more femininely sized. smaller to fit the masses of female practitioners.

i've had the pleasure of handling some korean, chinese and many japanese matcha jawan, bowls and other vessels. each piece is like a person. an individual. unique.

another point in 'otemae' or when enjoying tea is the chawan is actually turned upside down while grasping the footring to dump waste water out into the kensui (waste water receptacle/bowl). the koudai or footring becomes an integral part of the design of a matcha jawan. all structurally design elements of chawan need to flow together.

there are so many exceptions to the rule. if every maker created bowls to 'fit' a certain protocol it would to mass produced bowls.

i've seen matcha chawan in special otemae that are almost 1 meter in diameter !

one magic word in the making of ceramics is 'keshiki'. an accidental, serendipitous mark in firing or in glaze. in the west, they call it a 'flaw'.

one fun part. u can never have too many chawan. LOL !

i'm just chiming in here.
good luck on your quest.

if you want to 'test drive' a chawan, please let me know.
i would be honored

aloha
cory

[Maitre_Tea]

Oh God I would love to test-drive one of your creations...
Except I probably wouldn't give it back
Seriously though, I'm saving up the pennies here just so I can own one of your creations. I think the advice you give about Chawan is very wise

[tingjunkie]

Cool chawan kigawa. I really like the shape and the unglazed, organic feel. Looks like you should make powdered puerh tea in it!

[kigawa]

Cool chawan kigawa. I really like the shape and the unglazed, organic feel. Looks like you should make powdered puerh tea in it!

Thank you tingjunkie for suggesting puerh tea. I've never tried it before and really would like to now.

Thank you Cory for sharing your thoughts on chawan attributes. I made a list of attributes of a "perfect chawan". However, I soon realised that incorporating each attribute from the list into my design will not make my chawan perfect. The list won't help to create a chawan that "talks" to you.

[tingjunkie]

Thank you tingjunkie for suggesting puerh tea. I've never tried it before and really would like to now.

Well, I kind of just made the powdered puerh thing up! I take no responsibility if you try it. Who knows though... we may be on to something here!

[Tead Off]

Cory,

I am surprised there are not more Korean chawan on display here or even on online shops. There are great pieces that I occassionally see illustrated and would love to see more, for sale pieces, too.

[kigawa]

Cory,

I am surprised there are not more Korean chawan on display here or even on online shops. There are great pieces that I occassionally see illustrated and would love to see more, for sale pieces, too.

16-17 century Japanese tea masters certainly glorified Korean Yi Dynasty rice bowls, but I am not sure how much they were and are appreciated in Korea. Do Korean potters still make ceramics that would correspond to aesthetics such as wabi-sabi?
Any way, there are some pictures of Korean bowls at this site: http://www.mingeikan.or.jp/english/html ... nasty.html
This website reminded me about the books by Bernard Leach who wrote about Yi Dynasty ceramics and the Mingeikan Museum.

[Tead Off]

Cory,

I am surprised there are not more Korean chawan on display here or even on online shops. There are great pieces that I occassionally see illustrated and would love to see more, for sale pieces, too.

16-17 century Japanese tea masters certainly glorified Korean Yi Dynasty rice bowls, but I am not sure how much they were and are appreciated in Korea. Do Korean potters still make ceramics that would correspond to aesthetics such as wabi-sabi?
Any way, there are some pictures of Korean bowls at this site: http://www.mingeikan.or.jp/english/html ... nasty.html
This website reminded me about the books by Bernard Leach who wrote about Yi Dynasty ceramics and the Mingeikan Museum.

I can't speak for the Korean appreciation of Wabi-Sabi inspired pieces but I do see on occassion contemporary bowls by both Korean and American potters who have studied there on various sites. These bowls would definitely be considered as high level teaware for connoisseurs. I have also seen Korean teaware marketed on Japanese ceramic sites.

The great wares of T'ang and Song dynasties seemed to have been replaced by porcelain blue and white in China. This is a shame, IMO, as some of the greatest glazed ware was produced in China and if not supplanted by the blue and whites, could have gone in some interesting directions.

[Maitre_Tea]

Cory,

I am surprised there are not more Korean chawan on display here or even on online shops. There are great pieces that I occassionally see illustrated and would love to see more, for sale pieces, too.

16-17 century Japanese tea masters certainly glorified Korean Yi Dynasty rice bowls, but I am not sure how much they were and are appreciated in Korea. Do Korean potters still make ceramics that would correspond to aesthetics such as wabi-sabi?
Any way, there are some pictures of Korean bowls at this site: http://www.mingeikan.or.jp/english/html ... nasty.html
This website reminded me about the books by Bernard Leach who wrote about Yi Dynasty ceramics and the Mingeikan Museum.

I can't speak for the Korean appreciation of Wabi-Sabi inspired pieces but I do see on occassion contemporary bowls by both Korean and American potters who have studied there on various sites. These bowls would definitely be considered as high level teaware for connoisseurs. I have also seen Korean teaware marketed on Japanese ceramic sites.

The great wares of T'ang and Song dynasties seemed to have been replaced by porcelain blue and white in China. This is a shame, IMO, as some of the greatest glazed ware was produced in China and if not supplanted by the blue and whites, could have gone in some interesting directions.

Blame the Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty for this shift in artistic tastes. If memory serves me correctly from the Arts of Asia course, the Yuan Dynasty popularized the blue and white glaze that's so indicative/stereotypical of Chinese porcelain today.

[kigawa]

The great wares of T'ang and Song dynasties seemed to have been replaced by porcelain blue and white in China. This is a shame, IMO, as some of the greatest glazed ware was produced in China and if not supplanted by the blue and whites, could have gone in some interesting directions.

Some potteries in China specialise on making really good fakes of Tang dynasty ceramics. Mostly tri-glaze horses and camels. I wish they directed their efforts to making non-blue and white teawear, etc.

[bonjiri]

interesting topic here

the tang and song dynasties produced some amazing ceramics.

the korean kouryo celadon are amazing too

an interesting note about the matcha jawan.

all characteristics of form, surface, footring, kuchizukuri, chadamari, mikomi, dou, and balance (weight) needs to be in harmony. thus, the 'jawan' is one of the most challenging for the potter.

many potters can throw pots. if u keep your hands still on the wheel, a bowl is automatically formed. after the piece is thrown a footring is created. the footring is the most challenging to create. it needs to flow harmoniously with the form above and also function in tea.

then after throwing and making the koudai (footring) the next step. selecting the glaze and firing method/s.

several lifetimes are needed for different varieties of clay, throwing techniques , glazes and firing methods.

the most challenging form/functional piece is a matcha jawan.

humbly
c

[chamekke]

I agree that it's ideal to be able to hold the chawan to assess its weight, balance and shape.

However, some of us live in small places where the opportunity to test-drive a chawan prior to purchase is EXTREMELY limited if not non-existent. For people like me, the online gamble is almost always the only choice we've got.

It's possible to do quite well by buying chawan-s online, actually. My sensei recently visited the home of a friend and fellow tea student to whom I'd given a beautiful blue-glazed tenmokujawan (found on eBay) as a birthday present. Next thing I know, Sensei is telling me in no uncertain terms to let her know if I ever see a similar piece again! Apparently I managed to snarfle a highly valuable piece. I only hope that my friend appreciates it