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Seto ware ceramic tea caddy (without its lid). Globular form on flat base, displaying dark brown body. Thick, glossy red-brown glaze, flecked with yellow-brown, is dark at the lip and pools to dark brown on the minimal neck, thins over the shoulder to broad streaks speckled with yellow-green which end in deep brown pooling well above the base. Four matte brown repairs on lip.

History Of Use

Called chaire (茶入れ), this is a type of tea caddy used for storing concentrated think green powdered tea to serve koicha (濃茶; “thick tea”) in a traditional form of the Japanese tea ceremony known as sadō or chadō (茶道; the way of tea) and chanoyu (茶の湯). This elaborate ritual became an important part of Japan’s social fabric early in the 16th century, and is a choregraphed way of preparing and serving tea. Koicha is served at a chaji (a more formal tea ceremony than a chakai). Seto ware (瀬戸焼, Seto-yaki) was produced under the auspices of the Owari clan.

Narrative

Ed5.3160-64 (five ceramic tea caddies) were purchased from Sotheby's, NY, in 1982. The containers each had an ivory lid, however the lids were seized at the border due to the ban on the export and import of material derived from endangered species (CITES).