#9 Teacup In The Tea Ceremony

  In the tea ceremony, the role which tea-things play is important as  well as the tea and the tea ceremony room, or more important. Because the reason that tea ceremony is not a tea party and is just tea ceremony is that one of the purposes of tea ceremony is appreciation of tea-things. The tea-things show taste, character and eye for arts, sometime the power of the owner. 

a general teacup

  When you here the word "tea-things", especially Japanese tea-things, what do you image? Most people may answer "a teacup".  That is true. There is rating in Japanese tea-things called Mei-mono. And in Mei-mono rating, teacups is rated the second place. So here, in this article, I show the history of Japanese teacups and examples. By the way, the No.1 is a tea caddy.

Tenmoku teacup

  Culture of teacups in Japan came from ancient China. Especially, the teacups which was in favor with masters of tea ceremony is called Kara-mono, means made in Kara which is one of the ancient countries of China. And, in the kara-monos, there is a special group called  the Tenmoku teacups. These teacups were teacups made by ceramics and fired by using glaze called Tenmoku glaze. Tenmoku glaze's color is varies according to containt of iron. The one which contain iron more is called kakiyu, and the one which contain iron less is called ameyu. The feature of the teacup which is fired by Tenmoku glaze is its heat-retaing ability. In the tea ceremony that it is mportant treating a visitor, this property was useful very much. The teacups are very expensive now, and there is a teacup which is the national treasure.

Korai teacup

 A teacup loved in the same way as Kara-mono is the Korai teacup. When the wabi-cha spread in the tea ceremony, a simple teacup came to be gradually prefered to a gorgeous one. And it was Korai teacup made in Korea in those days to have collected populality.  Comparing the photo of Tenmoku teacup with the photo of Korai teacup, you can see that Korai teacup is made with an immature technique. But people in those days said that this is beautiful. Kourai teacups are expensive now too, because these teacups are used by many masters of tea ceremony.


 These are the two famous teacups of tea ceremony. If you have inerest, please check it in some way.