Yesterday, I made my first chawan (Japanese tea bowl)! Well, sort of. The above chawan was a piece I purchased from a ceramicist in the UK. I was attracted to the bowl because of its petite shape. Traditional chawans have a diameter of 11 to 13 cm, are rotund in shape and feature a very inconspicuous foot (some do not even have a foot). This chawan by contrast measures just 8 cm across and has a cubist shape which makes it look more modern. I also love the plain earthly color and the elegant tapering foot. The cream color of the surface was achieved by applying wood ash glaze mixed with other ingredients to the clay (which incidentally created a “lucky drip” on the foot). The potter accented the interior of the bowl with light gray brushstrokes using a hakeme or stiff grass brush. As you can see from the first image, one side of the bowl’s surface displays abstract geometric shapes that boldly distinguishes this bowl from traditional monochrome ones. These geometric designs are in the style of the contemporary raku master, Rau Kichizaemon XV Jikinyu (b. 1949) whose own work is influenced by modern expressionist art. They were added by me using ceramic paint.

I have started building a collection of Japanese tea ceramics and will share more about the history and styles of these delightful objects in a future post. Stayed tuned!