Tea Ceremony Tea Container
Item
Title
Tea Ceremony Tea Container
Creator
Masami MARUTA
Japanese, 1925-1979
Japanese, 1925-1979
Date
1967
Materials
Kuromuta Stoneware
Measurements
Height: 2-1/2 in. (6.3 cm)
Description
The tea container, called a cha-ire, is used when making koicha, the thick tea that is the first tea offered to guests at a tea ceremony. This example is by Masami Maruta, one of the best known artists in Kuromuta in the northwest part of the island of Kyushu. Thrown on a potter’s wheel, this piece is coated with a salt glaze created by throwing common salt into the kiln during the hottest part of the firing process, which causes the sodium in the salt to react with the silicate in the clay to create a glassy finish. The salt glaze is responsible for the tea caddy’s blue coloring as it causes the cobalt in the clay to oxidize. When not in use, a tea caddy is stored in a decorative bag called a shifuku.
Source
Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University.
Identifier
86.357
Rights
This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.