''Chaki'' () is a Japanese term that literally means "tea implement". In the vocabulary of

Japanese tea ceremony The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or ) is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . While in the West it is known as "tea ceremony", it is se ...

, it broadly means (1) any implement used in the practice of ''chanoyu'', and more narrowly means (2) the caddy for the powdered green tea (''

matcha is finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea leaves, traditionally consumed in East Asia. The green tea plants used for matcha are shade-grown for three to four weeks before harvest; the stems and veins are removed durin ...

'') used in the tea-making procedures, although usually this implies (3) the caddies used in the procedures for making thin tea (''usucha''). In this article, the term applies to definition 2. The caddies generally referred to as ''chaki'' are relatively small lidded containers, and are not storage vessels. In preparing to perform a tea-making procedure (''temae''), the host carefully selects the caddy for the ''matcha'' that will be used, and, as an important part of the preparations, neatly places the ''matcha'' into it. The ''chaki'' is chosen to harmonize with the other equipment used for the occasion, and the ''chaki'' is among the items the guests pay particular attention to. ''Chaki'' are classified both by material and shape, as well as by the type of tea preparation (thin tea or thick tea) for which they are used.

Styles and classification

''Chaki'' can be divided into two broad categories: those made of ceramic, and those made of wood or bamboo. Normally, ceramic ''chaki'' are for use in the procedures to make thick tea (''koicha''), and are called '' chaire'' (, "tea container")( ja) or ''koicha-ki'' (;　"implement for thick tea"). Wood or bamboo ''chaki'' normally are for use in the procedures to make thin tea, and are also called ''usucha-ki'' (), "implement for thin tea," often abbreviated ''usuki''). Commonly these are of the shape category called ''natsume'' ( 棗, "

jujube Jujube (), sometimes jujuba, known by the scientific name ''Ziziphus jujuba'' and also called red date, Chinese date, and Chinese jujube, is a species in the genus '' Ziziphus'' in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. Description It is a smal ...

"), and so ''usucha-ki'' in general tend to be loosely referred to as ''natsume''. Both ''chaire'' and ''natsume'' are further classified according to country of origin, materials and shape, and in some cases by potter or, in special cases, a name given to the object.

''Usucha-ki / natsume''

Broadly speaking, an ''usucha-ki'' is a wooden vessel with a lid, designed to hold powdered tea for making thin tea. Traditionally, ''usucha-ki'' are hand-carved from wood or bamboo, and usually are lacquered. They may also feature designs painted, applied, or carved into them, using for instance the

maki-e is a Japanese lacquer decoration technique in which pictures, patterns, and letters are drawn with lacquer on the surface of lacquerware, and then metal powder such as gold or silver is sprinkled and fixed on the surface of the lacquerware. Th ...

raden is a Japanese termRaden.

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

''usucha-ki'' are also available. The name ''natsume'' comes from the natsume or jujube fruit, which some ''usucha-ki'' are said to resemble. Strictly speaking, the word ''natsume'' should only be used to refer to vessels which have a slightly convex top and body that gradually narrows toward the base, but in practice any ''usucha-ki'' may be referred to as a ''natsume''. Since ''natsume'' are used for thin tea, they are the first ''chaki'' that a tea student learns to use.

History

A lacquer artist named Haneda Gorō, who lived in the era of

Higashiyama culture The Higashiyama culture (東山文化 ''Higashiyama bunka'') is a segment of Japanese culture that includes innovations in architecture, the visual arts and theatre during the late Muromachi period. It originated and was promoted in the 15th ce ...

and did lacquer work for

Ashikaga Yoshimasa Ashikaga (足利) may refer to: * Ashikaga clan (足利氏 ''Ashikaga-shi''), a Japanese samurai clan descended from the Minamoto clan; and that formed the basis of the eponymous shogunate ** Ashikaga shogunate (足利幕府 ''Ashikaga bakufu''), a ...

, is credited as the originator of this style of container for powdered tea which at first, as a rule, was black-lacquered. Records of tea gatherings held by

Sen no Rikyū , also known simply as Rikyū, is considered the historical figure with the most profound influence on ''chanoyu,'' the Japanese "Way of Tea", particularly the tradition of ''wabi-cha''. He was also the first to emphasize several key aspects o ...

reveal that he used ''natsume'', and that in his day ''natsume'' were used for ''koicha'' (thick tea).''Genshoku Chadō Daijiten'' (Japanese encyclopedia of the Way of Tea). Tankosha, 1975.

Types

The basic type is the "Rikyū shape" ( ''Rikyū-gata''), which comes in three sizes: large ( ''ō-natsume''), medium ( ''chū-natsume''), and small ( ''ko-natsume''). With the orthodox ''Rikyū-gata natsume,'' typically finished in plain black lacquer inside and out, the lid fits onto the body at about 7/10 the distance up from the base. There is tremendous variation among the other different types and sizes of ''natsume,'' however. For example, the diameter of the flat type ( ''hira-natsume'') generally is about twice the dimension of the vessel's height.''Genshoku Chadō Daijiten'' Koma Natsume

''Koma'' (独楽) is the name for a

spinning top A spinning top, or simply a top, is a toy with a squat body and a sharp point at the bottom, designed to be spun on its vertical axis, balancing on the tip due to the gyroscopic effect. Once set in motion, a top will usually wobble for a f ...

. Originally from southeast Asia, it also became a popular motif. It can be categorised as a ''

shimamono ''Shimamono'' (島物 "island objects") is a generic term for Japanese tea utensils produced outside Japan, Korea and China, mainly from Southeast Asia. History Items from Korea are referred to as ''kōraimono'' (高麗物) and from China calle ...

''.

''Chaire''

The term ''chaire'' generally refers to a relatively small ceramic jar with a lid, used to hold the tea powder for use in making thick tea (''koicha''). The lid is traditionally made from elephant ivory with a

gold leaf Gold leaf is gold that has been hammered into thin sheets (usually around 0.1 µm thick) by goldbeating and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades. The most commonly used gold is 22-karat ...

ed underside, though today lids are usually created from other materials made to resemble ivory.

History

According to Sadler, ''chaire'' were originally used in China in the

Song period The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...

as bottles for oil or medicine, and were imported into Japan for use as tea caddies up to the end of the Ashikaga or start of the

Tokugawa period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional ''daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

Types

''Chaire'' can be divided into two broad types: ''karamono'' and ''wamono'' (sometimes referred to as ''kuniyakimono''). ''Karamono'' are ''chaire'' that originated in or are made to resemble those created in China, while ''wamono'' are those that originated in Japan. These can be further subdivided by kiln or potter as well as shape.

''Karamono''

''Karamono chaire'' are classified by shape: * ''Nasu'' (): The "

eggplant Eggplant ( US, Canada), aubergine ( UK, Ireland) or brinjal (Indian subcontinent, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. ''Solanum melongena'' is grown worldwide for its edible fruit. Mo ...

" ''chaire'' is a medium-sized vessel named for its shape, which resembles that of an aubergine. * ''Bunrin'' (): The "apple" ''chaire'' shape. * ''Bunna'' (): The "apple-eggplant" ''chaire'' shape, falling between the ''nasu'' and ''bunrin'' shapes. * ''Katatsuki (): The "protruding shoulder" ''chaire'', the most common type, named for its pronounced "shoulders" at the vessel's top. * ''Marutsubo'' (): The "round jar" shape. * ''Taikai'' (): The "big

ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wo ...

" ''chaire'', which is quite large in diameter and has a wide mouth, in comparison to its height. A smaller sub-type of this shape is known as ''naikai'' or ''uchiumi'' (). * ''Tsurukubi'' (): The "crane's neck" ''chaire'' that has a long slender neck. * ''Shiribukura'' (), also referred to as ''shirihari/shiribari'' (): The "bulging hip" ''chaire'' shape, distinguished by its wide lower portion.

''Wamono''

''Wamono chaire'' are classified by the names of kilns (production centers) and potters. The kilns in

Seto Seto may refer to: Places *Seto, Aichi, production place of Japanese pottery and venue of Expo 2005 * Seto, Ehime, facing the Seto Inland Sea * Seto, Okayama, adjacent to Okayama, in Okayama Prefecture *Seto Inland Sea of Japan *Setomaa (''Seto ...

, in the old province of Owari (present Aichi Prefecture), are considered the original Japanese kilns to produce ''chaire,'' and so traditionally the ''chaire'' from the Seto kilns do not fall into the category called ''kuniyakimono'' or "provincial ware". Also, the various kilns in Kyoto are not regarded as "provincial ware".

=Provincial ware (''kuniyakimono'')

= *

Karatsu ware is a style of Japanese pottery produced traditionally in and around Karatsu, Saga Prefecture. History Karatsu has been a hub of foreign commerce and trade since ancient times, and a center of pottery production since the Azuchi-Momoyama perio ...

Satsuma ware is a type of Japanese pottery originally from Satsuma Province, southern Kyūshū. Today, it can be divided into two distinct categories: the original plain dark clay made in Satsuma from around 1600, and the elaborately decorated ivory-bodie ...

Shigaraki ware Shigaraki ware (信楽焼) is a type of stoneware pottery made in Shigaraki area, Japan. The kiln is one of the Six Ancient Kilns in Japan. Although figures representing the tanuki are a popular product included as Shigaraki ware, the kiln a ...

* Sobokai ware * Takatori ware * Tanba ware *

Bizen ware is a type of Japanese pottery traditionally from Bizen province, presently a part of Okayama prefecture. History Bizen ware was traditionally produced in and around the village of Imbe in Bizen province, from where it received its name. It ...

* Shidoro ware * Zeze ware

=Potters

= * Maemon * Genjūrō * Shinbei * Tōshirō I, II, III, IV

References

* Michiko, Suganuma
Lacquer teaware

External links

{{commonscat
Image of an elaborate black lacquer natsume with gold sakura blossom motif

Containers Japanese tea utensils

Styles and classification

''Usucha-ki / natsume''

History

Types

''Chaire''

History

Types

''Karamono''

''Wamono''

=Provincial ware (''kuniyakimono'')

=Potters

See also

References

External links