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Introduction

The Art of the East Asian Potter

Ceramics from China, Korea and Japan
May 20 - October 9, 1988

Cakes of tea leaves were first imported to Japan from China in the Tempyo period (710-794 CE). The plant itself was brought to Japan by a priest named Eisai (1141-1215), who wrote "A Treatise on Life Preservation by Tea Drinking" in 1214. By this time the Chinese had developed specialized tea equipment and tea-tasting games, but it was the Japanese who linked Zen Buddhism, art appreciation, and tea tasting togetehr in an aesthetic ceremony. Spiritualized through the influence of Zen and enhanced by the forms and textures of calligraphy, painting, and pottery, the tea ceremony and all of its components became a major outlet for Japanese aesthetics in the 15th century.

Raku, Bizen, Karatsu, and oribe wares are central to the tea ceremony in Japan. From a Western perspective tea wares sometimes appear to be crudely executed, but they are purposely created with irregularities which emphasize the natural properties of clay and directly reflect the forming and firing processes that produce them. For example, tea bowls are never perfectly round, reflecting the belief that nature is never perfect. The sense of touch also is important: the undulations of the body and the rim are designed to feel pleasant to the hand and mouth when drinking, and the teabowls are always thick-walled so that they can be held without the risk of burning.

Selected Objects

Japanese

Bizen Ware Tea Caddy, 1800s

Chinese

Vase, 1662-1722

Chinese

Vase, 1662-1722

Chinese, China

Flask, 1700s

Chinese

Yue-ware Covered Jar, 960-1280

Chinese

Lid for Yue-ware Covered Jar, 960-1280

Chinese

Covered Jar, 900–1100 CE

Ōhi Chozaemon V

Raku Ware Tea Bowl, early 1800s

Chinese

Bowl, 960-1280

Japanese

Tea Jar, 1800-1825

Japanese

Tea Jar

Edo Japanese

Tea Bowl

Chinese

Bowl

Chinese

Bowl, 960-1280

Chinese

Tripod jar, 618-907
No Image Available

Chinese

Vase, 1662-1722

Chinese

Bowl, 1115-1368

Chinese

Box, 1662-1722

Chinese

Ting Yao Fish Bowl, 960-1280

Chinese

Funerary pillow, 1115-1234
No Image Available

Makoto Yabe

Large vessel, 1987

Ōtagaki Rengetsu

Tea Bowl, 1800s

Chinese

Plate, 960-1280

Chinese

Vase, 1662-1722

Japanese

Water Jar, 1600s

Chinese

Bowl, 960-1280

Chinese

Bowl with Design of Flowers and Boys, 1100s

Japanese

Tea Bowl, 1500s

Japanese, Yamashiro Province Japan

Tea Bowl, Mid 1800s

Chinese

Bowl, 960-1280

More objects +

RISD Museum

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