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Description

Izumo ware ceramic tea caddy (without its lid). A small globular form on a flat spirally cut unglazed base showing fine light grey body. Thin translucent extremely shiny brown glaze, dark at the lip, with a broad splash of pale green-white flowing down the side, where the glaze stops in an even line short of the base.

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). Izumo ware is made at a minor kiln in the village of Rakuzan, in the northwestern end of Honshu.

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).