Japanese & Oriental Ceramic. Hazel H. Gorham
beauty of a perfect thing and to prefer the subtile pleasure that comes of the finding of aesthetic beauty in imperfection, or in a thing not beautiful in itself but because it fulfilled the purpose for which it was made or because it has answered the need of man for many long years. One of the teachings of cha no yu is to use what is nearest at hand. Theoretically, cha no yu requires only that one clean and prepare the room, put a flower in a vase in the tokonoma (the recessed alcove of every Japanese guest room), boil water and serve one's guests a cup of tea, actually cha no yu enthusiasts spend all their time trying to think of unusual refinements and variations of the accepted routine, and sooner or later they all try their hand at producing a tea cup (cha wan) which they consider answers all aesthetic requirements. This led to the development of a type of pottery which is peculiarly and uniquely Japanese, known as raku ydki.
Although we have said that cha no yu consists only of serving one's friends a cup of tea, and this in theory is all it is, in practice it is far more complicated. The tea used is a specially prepared powdered tea. It is made by pouring half a cupful of hot (never boiling) water on a small amount of the tea powder in the bowl or cup from which it is to be drunk. It looks, and to many Westerners tastes, like spinach soup. It is never served casually, but always in a suitable bowl, very ceremoniously, and in a room set aside for that purpose only. Of late years attempts have been made to adapt cha no yu to European style surroundings, but with slight success. For the enjoyment of this tea its traditional surroundings are necessary. The room should be small, usually only nine foot square, and a garden is mandatory. No paint or artificial colour is used, only the natural colour of wood planed to a satin finish and the golden tan of the reed mats (tatami) on the floor.
Typical cha wan, tea bowls. On the left; red raku yaki, soft thick pottery glazed with a thick orangered glaze and showing the irregular edge so much admired by cha jin. On the right; shallow wide bowl of Seto yaki, with a semi-transparent greenish-yellow glaze unevenly applied to show the unglazed biscuit base of the bowl. The inside of a tea bowl is always glazed, the biscuit is very often wavey and irregular.
Against such a background the various pottery utensils show to their best advantage and the Japanese delight in harmonious contrast can be given free rein. Against such a background a single white camelia in an unglazed pottery jar makes a thing of beauty. Metal, especially bright polished metal, is taboo; only in summer the pot or bowl (furo) which holds the charcoal fire for heating the water is sometimes of iron or bronze, as is the hot water kettle itself. The tea bowls (cha wan), the container for the cold water (mizu sashi), the low-bowl (mizu koboshi) into which the waste water is emptied, the jar (cha ire) which holds the powdered tea and the small box for holding incense (kogo) all are of pottery or porcelain. In the winter a lacquer lid replaces the pottery lid of the water jar. At any season a lacquered incense box and container for tea may replace the pottery ones.
The delicate workmanship of the highly polished lacquer things and the sturdy roughness of the pottery utensils contrast delightfully and each enhances the beauty of the other. Porcelain is not used much for cha no yu utensils (cha ki), its hard white surface and brilliant colours are not much liked by cha jin but the knowledge of multi-colour enamel decoration acquired in the making of porcelain was used to good advantage by Japanese potters in the decoration of pottery for cha no yu. Because of cha no yu the pottery of Japan is more truly representative of Japanese art than is porcelain, which remains to this day pretty much a copy of Chinese or European models.
The aesthetic teachings of cha no yu have created and perpetuated a criterion by which not only the art but the manner of life and etiquette of the people is judged; for "etiquette" (gyogi) in Japan as "decorum" (li) in China is of vital importance in the lives of all classes of people. The emphasis of cha no yu on self control and of concentration on the task at hand has undoubtedly contributed to the mental health of the Japanese but the insistance of cha do on formalism and ceremony has exerted an influence that is perhaps open to criticism. Again, we can find proof in the language, for one word expressive of misfortune or trouble literally translated means "the unexpected." But even in view of such evident drawbacks it must be admitted that cha no yu has been the means of developing a large group of people aesthetically keen and it has enabled the Japanese people to retain their sense of what is artistic and beautiful sufficiently to avoid being overwhelmed by the deadly monotony of mass production.
Bernard Leach, the English artist-potter, on one visit to Tokyo, gave a talk before an interested group of people in which he stated it was his opinion that the teaching and practice of cha no yu had developed and perpetuated the aesthetic sense of a large number of Japanese and that this had protected the ceramic art of Japan.
The names of many of the greatest cha jin (tea masters) are inseparably connected with Japanese ceramics. Few of them were potters and their influence was due to their authority as arbiters of good taste for cha no yu utensils. Beginning with Shuko, who lived in the latter half of the fifteenth century and who was the teacher of Shino Soshin and contemporary of So ami these cha jin shaped the course of ceramic development in Japan
So ami, a retainer of the Ashikaga Shogun Yoshimitsu, who held power from 1444 to 1473, and Shino Soshin, a contemporary, are credited with being among the first to develop the demand for pottery suitable for cha no yu. Shino's name is perpetuated in Shino yaki a product of Seto kilns. These wares are characterized by deep crackles in a soft looking thick cream glaze over indeterminate pictures or patterns drawn in iron pigment on the coarse biscuit. In places the glaze bubbles and becomes discoloured producing red tints about the edges. On many of the pieces the glaze is wiped off to expose the biscuit and part of the painted design. There is a great charm about these wares for they are especially agreeable to the touch. They are still being produced.
Takeno Sho o's real name was Nakamura Shinshiro. He came of a samurai family but as his feudal lord fell with his clan in the Onin war (1467-8) his father wandered masterless for a while eventually settling at Sakai as a tradesman. Sho o himself went to Kyoto as a boy and entered into service with Udaijin Kimiyori. He was presented at court and given the title of Inaba no Kami. He studied Zen Buddhism and became a skillful writer of verse. Later he retired to Sakai. His influence on Japanese ceramics seems to have been through his pupils especially Sen no Rikyu.
Sen no Rikyu, whose name appears so often in connection with cha no yu and its pottery was born into the family of a wholesale fish dealer. His father's name was Tanaka Yohei but he early took the name "Sen" of his grandfather who was an artist and a friend of the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, becoming Sen Soeki.
The young Sen Soeki was one time commanded to serve tea before the Emperor Go Yozei. But as he had no court rank he was advised to retire and adopt the Buddhist name of Koji (meaning Enlightened Recluse). His Zen teacher gave him the name of "Rikyu." His name was confirmed by Imperial Edict and he is known in history as Sen no Rikyu. The Shogun Hideyoshi ordered Rikyu to revise and put into writing the rules for cha no yu. For many years Rikyu enjoyed the friendship of Hideyoshi but when he was quite an old man Hideyoshi accused him of insolently living in a style above his station in life. At Hideyoshi's order he quietly committed suicide by seppuku. He was seventy one at the time.
Kobori Enshu (1579-1647) was not himself a potter but a tea teacher yet his name is associated with a certain type of pottery made at many kilns throughout Japan. The kilns of Shidoro, Zeze, Kosobe, Agano, Takatori, Asahi and Akahada are known as Enshu's Seven Favourite kilns.
Enshu's real name was Kobori Totomi no Kami Masakazu, his father was civil governor of Fushimi. Enshu also used the name "Soko." He served under Tokugawa Iyeyasu, taking the place.of Oribe as supreme authority in all things relating to cha no yu. He was a poet, a painter and a calligraphist, besides being exceedingly fond of ike bana (the Japanese art of flower arrangement), and his name of Enshu is perpetuated in the Enshu ryu of flower arrangement. In cha no yu he was a follower of the style of Sen no Rikyu. He did much to encourage the production of Japanese pottery by personally investigating the possibilities of the clays of various districts and encouraging the potters of many kilns to make things for the use of cha no yu.
Enshu's Seven Kilns
Shidoro;—established in 1575 by Kato Shoyemon Kagetada. Wares undecorated,