What to look for in a gaiwan?

[chrl42]

OK, stupid newbie question here...

I got a gift from a friend a while back... looks like one of the asian lucky cats, but it's a vessel with a little lid on it that looks like a hat. I didn't know what it was designed for, but it was purchased at Teavana. Now I'm thinking... Duh, is this a gaiwan? Theres no saucer with it, though.

Sarah

Well, if it is pointed side to side that let water out, possibility is a vessel invented for convenience that's seen often on the market nowadays. Almost same as gaiwan, but cannot drink directly from it.

I am thinking of getting it as well, and it doesn't have to worry about burning fingers.

[chamekke]

OK, stupid newbie question here...

Please! There's no such thing as a stupid question.

I know almost zero about gaiwan-s and the Chinese methods of tea preparation, so I'm always happy when other people ask for clarification on these things. You're helping to improve everyone's understanding - so do keep asking your newbie questions, and I'll do the same

[tenuki]

There's no such thing as a stupid question.

wanna bet?

[chamekke]

There's no such thing as a stupid question.

wanna bet?

Is that your counter-example?

[tenuki]

There's no such thing as a stupid question.

wanna bet?

Is that your counter-example?

Woot! someone with a sense of humor large enough to detect irony!!

[Thirsty Daruma]

I think my affordable little white gaiwan was made with martial training in mind, because even with the saucer it can get uncomfortably hot. Sort of a "Pour the tea without grimacing, grasshopper" sort of thing. I'll definitely have to keep an eye out for a thicker variety Gaiwan now. Any merchant suggestions?

[scruffmcgruff]

I think my affordable little white gaiwan was made with martial training in mind, because even with the saucer it can get uncomfortably hot. Sort of a "Pour the tea without grimacing, grasshopper" sort of thing. I'll definitely have to keep an eye out for a thicker variety Gaiwan now. Any merchant suggestions?

Dragon Tea House (on eBay) has brown and red zisha gaiwans for an affordable price, and they are definitely thicker than any of my porcelain gaiwans.

[britt]

OK, stupid newbie question here...

I got a gift from a friend a while back... looks like one of the asian lucky cats, but it's a vessel with a little lid on it that looks like a hat. I didn't know what it was designed for, but it was purchased at Teavana. Now I'm thinking... Duh, is this a gaiwan? Theres no saucer with it, though.

Sarah

It's hard to tell without a pic, but I've seen Japanese Lucky Cats that were teacups; one with a lid and one without. When you turn the one without the lid upside down, it becomes a teacup.

Lidded Lucky Cat teacup:



Unlidded Lucky Cat teacup:

http://www.jbox.com/IMAGE/gng0a

http://www.jbox.com/IMAGE/zxyr3

[kymidwife]

OK I don't know how to display the picture, so there's the link to a similar lidded cup on Ebay, which looks almost exactly like mine.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Japanese-WELCOME-Ca ... 18Q2el1247

I think its not a proper gaiwan, but it IS a teacup of some sort isn't it? My friend who bought it for me thought it was a sugar bowl...

Sarah

[britt]

OK I don't know how to display the picture, so there's the link to a similar lidded cup on Ebay, which looks almost exactly like mine.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Japanese-WELCOME-Ca ... 18Q2el1247

I think its not a proper gaiwan, but it IS a teacup of some sort isn't it? My friend who bought it for me thought it was a sugar bowl...

Sarah

Definitely not a gaiwan. It doesn't have the saucer, you couldn't leave the lid on to pour (lid extends OVER the cup edge = spill), and it appears to be Japanese. This is a futatsuki, or lidded yunomi (teacup). We have solved the mystery and proved that a picture really is worth a thousand words! Thanks for supplying the link; I was curious about what this was.

[chamekke]

Lidded Lucky Cat teacup:

Oh, that is too adorable. I looked this cup up on J-List and it's called "First Dream", which makes sense. The motifs on the bottom refer to the ideal "first dream" of the new year, which should include Mount Fuji, eggplants, and hawks for full auspiciousness. In this case, the "hawks" are plovers flying over the sea - possibly because they're cuter than hawks! (The J-List write-up misidentifies the plovers as fish, for some mysterious reason.)

[britt]

Lidded Lucky Cat teacup:

[/quote]

In this case, the "hawks" are plovers flying over the sea - possibly because they're cuter than hawks! (The J-List write-up misidentifies the plovers as fish, for some mysterious reason.)

Believe it or not, I thought they were fish too.

Had I looked closer, I might have realized that fish don't usually swim in the air around Mt. Fuji, nor do they have legs. I guess I should have stayed awake in biology class!

[chamekke]

In this case, the "hawks" are plovers flying over the sea - possibly because they're cuter than hawks! (The J-List write-up misidentifies the plovers as fish, for some mysterious reason.)

Believe it or not, I thought they were fish too.

Had I looked closer, I might have realized that fish don't usually swim in the air around Mt. Fuji, nor do they have legs. I guess I should have stayed awake in biology class!

This is going so OT it needs its own forum, but... for some reason, I have seen this plover (chidori) design referred to as "fish" in English several times. Here's a trivial example.

I'm a little puzzled at the misidentification. Is it accidental (i.e. the vendor really is taking his best guess at what that highly stylized creature represents, and truly doesn't know that plovers are often depicted that way)? Or is it deliberate (the vendor thinks that buyers will be less interested in plovers)? Probably the former, I think.

[kymidwife]

Thanks for the clarification... now I want the other cat cup too... very cute.

Sarah

[britt]

... for some reason, I have seen this plover (chidori) design referred to as "fish" in English several times.

I'm a little puzzled at the misidentification. ...

I've made this mistake several times before. I must subconciously relate fish with the ocean more than I do birds. I think seeing waves and something that does resemble an angel fish leads to the quick conclusion that they're fish in the water, not birds flying over the water.

A while ago I was looking at an incense holder that was shaped like a ship and had fish painted on the hull. This made sense to me, until I read the description and saw they were really birds (plovers, of course).

The one in the lead does look like a bird, but the following ones looked like fish to me. When I first saw this, I wondered why a bird was leading a school of fish. That's when I checked the item description and realized my error.

Kogo, ship with plovers:



Angelfish: