Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Ichigo Kyoyaki Chawan

As many of you know, I have been practicing chado (tea ceremony) for several years now. Like my kimono collection, my collection of chadogu (tea implements) is ever-growing. I tend to favor more earthy designs for my chawan and rarely delve into the realm of Kyoyaki, since I feel many of the designs are outlandish and gaudy. That being said, I absolutely fell head-over-heels in love with this ichigo design chawan:


It's such a unique motif! And of course, very modern. It was made by potter Tozan of Kyoto.

Being a modern motif, I'm not 100% sure when it would be best to use it. My thinking is that because strawberries are one of the first fruits to ripen in late spring and early summer, it would probably be best to use it slightly before that time.

3 comments:

  1. wow, it's so cute! :D but strawberrys are also a winter-fruit in Japan aren't they?

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    1. They end up on a lot of winter desserts, but they grow in late spring/early summer. You could make a case for using it when it's colder though :)

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    2. Also, since the sides of the bowl are slanting outward (helping the tea cool off faster), the potter likely meant for it to be used in the warmer seasons.

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