Part 1: September 7 – October 20, 2024
Part 2: October 26 – December 8, 2024

 

Whisking powdered tea leaves into hot water — the matcha style of drinking tea — most likely accompanied Zen monks on their travels from China to Japan, in the early 13th century. Matcha consumption in Japan was initially the exclusive realm of Buddhist ritual, set within Zen Buddhist temples. Gradually, however, matcha came to be enjoyed in more profane settings, too, spreading throughout society and even taking the spotlight in a popular game known as honhicha. whereby participants would taste a variety of teas and guess where the tea leaves had been produced. In those days, whole tea leaves were stored in large ceramic vessels called ōtsubo (lit.: “large containers”), and powdered tea (matcha), pulverized using a stone mortar immediately prior to use, was carried in kotsubo (lit.: “small containers”).

By the early 16th century, the tea ceremony (chanoyu) had been established and, continuing to develop, would lead to significant changes in the containers used to store and carry matcha. Tea ceremonies began offering both the relatively thicker koicha and thinner usucha, and, correspondingly, the containers employed to hold these two kinds of powdered tea during the tea ceremony diverged. In general, ceramics (various forms of kotsubo that came to be called cha-ire) predominated for koicha, while lacquerware containers became typical for usucha. Cha-ire imported from China — and referred to in Japan as karamono cha-ire — had dominated the tea world until then; but a rapidly growing population of tea practitioners, combined with a shortage of many kinds of kotsubo (as their manufacture in China ceased), led to large-scale domestic production of cha-ire. Initially centered in the Seto region of central Japan, production spread to Kyoto and beyond, with the advancement of pottery techniques. Conversely, interest in ōtsubo, large containers to store whole tea leaves, began to wane.
In Japan, karamono cha-ire (Chinese tea caddies) had been classified according to their form, since approximately the 15th century. In the early 17th century, tea master Kobori Enshū first attempted to classify Seto tea caddies. His initiative was succeeded nearly two centuries later by tea master Matsudaira Fumai, who published “Seto Tōki Ranshō (The Origins of Seto Pottery)”, establishing a categorization system for Seto cha-ire that has been employed through modern times. Recent excavations in Seto, however, have refuted Matsudaira’s chronology, which extends as far back as the 14th century, and are finding that many Seto tea caddies were actually produced in the first half of the 17th century.

This exhibition takes into account such archaeological findings and categorizes matcha containers into karamono (ceramic; of Chinese origin) Seto ware (ceramic; made in the Seto area) and kuniyaki (all other ceramic tea caddies made in Japan), along with lacquerware (also produced domestically, but used mostly for usucha). More light remains to be shed on various aspects of the production of both karamono and domestic cha-ire, so today’s cha-ire displays are divided according to geographical region of production and do not necessary adhere to traditional categorization methods. Our aim is to offer you an easily accessible way to understand the diversity in tea caddies that we see today.

Mentioned in passing, above, lacquerware tea caddies are also on display, during the first part of this exhibition. Lacquerware technology rapidly developed starting in the latter 1500s (the Momoyama Period), and its application extended to matcha containers. Eventually, nearly all matcha used for usucha during a tea ceremony was brought into the tearoom in lacquerware containers (as opposed to ceramic cha-ire, for koicha), which were admired for their variety of designs, shapes and exquisite artisanry. We hope that you enjoy the various lacquerware matcha containers also on display here.



Hours: 10:00-16:30 (admission until 16:00)
Closed: Mondays (Exception: Open Monday, September 16, 23, October 14, and November 4.

Closed Tuesday, September 17, 24, October 15 and November 5)
Admissions: 800 yen for adults, 300 yen for students, free admission for junior high school students and younger

*Please be aware that exhibits may be changed due to unforeseen circumstances.
Thank you for your understanding.

［※各個展最終日は、16：00で終了致します。］

 
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