Glazed stoneware・5-Day Wood-fired

The taxonomy of a tea bowl is as varied as the drink itself. In Liao Guo Hua’s latest series of work, the artist set his sights on the classic Han Tsutsu-Gata form, a large cylindrical vessel with a wide base and tall walls, ideally calibrated for the preparation of whisked tea.

The first and widest interior circumference of a Han Tsutsu-Gata is called the Chasenzuri, outlining the path of the whisk as it rotates the bowl. The second ring, centered in the middle of the tea bowl, is the chadamari. Sometimes subtle, others highly defined, the chadamari is the resting place of the final bits of ground tea after the tea is finished, and in wabi-cha tea preparation, marks a moment of appreciation for the emptied vessel.

The rim too is both an element of form, and of function. The loosely undulating lip of the bowl is made up of gogaku, or mountain peaks, whose valleys provide a home for the handle of a whisk or tea scoop left resting in the bowl.

Best suited for two-handed drinking, Liao Guo Hua’s tea bowls come in a rainbow of colors. Deep plum chun and rutile glazes break like running water down the sides of the pots, expressed in varied shades brought forth by their location in the kiln. Creamy whites, mottled reds, and shades of blue both real and imaginary run in rivulets and mottled crystalline blooms across the surface.

Made for matcha. Pair with our kurotake bamboo whisk and tea scoop.

Usage and care: Hand-wash only, without soap or detergent.

Approximate dimensions: 73mm tall, 120mm diameter, 310ml・Artist: 廖國華