Today's MatchaWan :D (new name, but tea's the same)

[laura99]

What a gorgeous chawan geekgirl! And your photo's show the details oh so well!

Great collection IPT!

[IPT]

IPT, your shot shows your diverse chawan family members. Wow, your corylum looks like a sibling to one of ours, it's a great looking piece. Thanks for sharing.

Really? I'd love to see a photo.

[Victoria]

Geek, that bowl is just stunning!! I am soooo

Reminds me of the owls on the porcelain set you have.

Love the raku-like coloring, very cool!

[Seeker]

Wow everyone, just wow!

[IPT]

I've got another addition to the family. This fabulous Chawan was crafted by Petr Novak. I love it and have already used it several times. Thank you Petr, your pieces are just incredible!

[TwoPynts]

TwoPynts, that Petr Novak chawan is lovely IPT, thanks for sharing the photos. That glaze is something else!

I have a friend who does ceramics so I approached her to see if she'd be willing to make me one or some. Is there a standard size? 12cm x 8cm seems a bit on the small side to me, which is approx. what I see some others measured at online. Is it okay to go larger? She's never made a chawan before so needs some guidance.
Thank you!

[Chip]

TwoPynts, seems the "norm" for vertical sided chawan is 4.75" wide. You can certainly vary from that as much as you want.

Summer chawan due to the tapered sides/lower height are usually wider.

Beautiful Petr chawan, IPT. What does the inside look like?

IPT, your shot shows your diverse chawan family members. Wow, your corylum looks like a sibling to one of ours, it's a great looking piece. Thanks for sharing.

Really? I'd love to see a photo.

Taking a photo or two today, hopefully.

[Chip]

This ShyRabbit Tenmoku Chawan is so reflective ...


... and so purty ... I try not to name favorites in teaware, but this is up there. The stars on the sides, inside and out are green!

[nickE]

Wow Chip, that looks really great with matcha in it!

The Petr chawan is also beautiful, love that bubbly glaze.

[camw]

Yuuki-Cha Tenkei Tori in a Robert Fornell Chawan.

[JBaymore]

Is there a standard size? 12cm x 8cm seems a bit on the small side to me, which is approx. what I see some others measured at online.

TwoPynts,

Just got done teaching a class on this subject......

The "all season" type is usually targeted at right around 13 cm in dia (OD). As Chip noted, summer season chawan often exceed this and typically have a flaring shape......15 cm is not uncommon there. Winter season chawan are more "enclosed" in form and are often more cylindrically oriented and may come down into the 11 ish range.

There are also what is known as traveler's chawan.... made for "on the road". These are more in scale with the winter chawan size or even a tad smaller...... but do not necessarily share the form of the winter bowls.

Too small a bowl and the problem becomes the whisk fitting to properly (rapidly) draw the の character to get a good froth. For the traveler's chawan, they actually make smaller whisks.

For actual tea ceremony use, there is a lot more to making a good chawan than this for sure....... but for casual "at home" matcha drinking...... anything that works well for you is just fine.

And a tea master can also take that same "anything that works" approach in a real ceremony.

Also, the younger generations in Japan are stretching the boundaries of tea ceremony in new directions. Some of the contemporary chawan being made are not at all what you'd think of as a "chawan". Just as Sen no Rikyu broke the rules for Chanoyu in his day..... the young people are finding new ways to carry on the cultural heritage that is more in tune with their thinking.

best,

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

[Chip]

Beauty Cam!
Speaking of Summer Wans.

ShyRabbit TA SO Chawan ( http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=13423 ) ... hard for me to capture the golden opalescence.


Place matcha powder here ...


Drink ...

[britt]

There are also what is known as traveler's chawan.... made for "on the road". These are more in scale with the winter chawan size or even a tad smaller...... but do not necessarily share the form of the winter bowls.

Too small a bowl and the problem becomes the whisk fitting to properly (rapidly) draw the の character to get a good froth. For the traveler's chawan, they actually make smaller whisks.

You certainly hit the nail on the head with that statement. I unknowingly purchased a few of these "travelers" chawan and the smallest of them makes it very difficult to whisk matcha with a standard size chasen. It was expensive and I like it, so rather than pack it away I often use it as a large tea cup.

Also, the younger generations in Japan are stretching the boundaries of tea ceremony in new directions. Some of the contemporary chawan being made are not at all what you'd think of as a "chawan". Just as Sen no Rikyu broke the rules for Chanoyu in his day..... the young people are finding new ways to carry on the cultural heritage that is more in tune with their thinking.

I don't remember her name and I didn't save the article or link, but there was a famous young Japanese actress or singer who invited the writer to one of her tea ceremonies. He was rather surprised to be served in an untraditional plastic chawan. I rather like the idea; we could save a lot of money this way. John, how are you at firing and glazing plastic?

[Chip]

There are also what is known as traveler's chawan.... made for "on the road". These are more in scale with the winter chawan size or even a tad smaller...... but do not necessarily share the form of the winter bowls.

Too small a bowl and the problem becomes the whisk fitting to properly (rapidly) draw the の character to get a good froth. For the traveler's chawan, they actually make smaller whisks.

You certainly hit the nail on the head with that statement. I unknowingly purchased a few of these "travelers" chawan and the smallest of them makes it very difficult to whisk matcha with a standard size chasen. It was expensive and I like it, so rather than pack it away I often use it as a large tea cup.

I bought a few bowls that would fit in this size that I have yet to figure out what to do with them. I can tell by looking at them that whisking matcha would be frustrating and not pleasant. They are way to big for sencha. So they have sat and sat.

I will find a use for them, tea related, one day!

[Chip]

IPT, your shot shows your diverse chawan family members. Wow, your corylum looks like a sibling to one of ours, it's a great looking piece. Thanks for sharing.

Really? I'd love to see a photo.

Sorry, forgot to post this, IPT!

More like a cousin from the Shino side of the fam. Seeker has his bro'.