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Description
I have a small collection of Chadogu, the tools used in Tea Ceremony, and I thought I would take some nice, artsy pictures of them. It's no fun if they just collect dust in a corner.

This is a Bizen-yaki chawan. Bizen-yaki is the ceramic style of the Okayama prefecture, and is known for being unglazed, iron hard, and for various youhen or kiln effects. It's my favorite of all the ceramic styles in Japan, it's so dynamic. Because Bizen does not use any artificial glazing, the primary decoration in a Bizen piece will be effects on the clay created by the kiln. The kiln can cause a natural glazing on the clay which is caused by the ash of the kiln, which can cause the clay to become deep brown or red, sometimes with the color so deep it almost appears purple. Another spectacular example of natural glazing is when the ash in the kiln will stick onto the clay and become fused onto it in light brown globs called goma or sesame seeds.

Sei-jaku is the second part of the classic tea phrase Wa-Kei Sei-Jaku, which is comprised of the kanji for harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. Sei-Jaku on its own is often translated as serenity in the midst of activity, although I think that has to do with more an alternative spelling of sei-jaku, which uses the kanji for stillness/quietness instead of purity.

The tea dish next to the bowl is from the tea ceremony demonstration at the Kamogawa Odori, the annual dance recital put on by the maiko and geiko of Pontocho.

When I attended the Kamogawa Odori on my recent vacation to Kyoto, I received a second of these dishes, which is a type of plate called a meimei-zara. This sort of plate is used to hold one individual treat, and meimei-zara usually come in sets of five. So, if I attend the Kamogawa Odori three more times, I'll have my own meimei-zara set!

Description
I have a small collection of Chadogu, the tools used in Tea Ceremony, and I thought I would take some nice, artsy pictures of them. It's no fun if they just collect dust in a corner.

This is a Bizen-yaki chawan. Bizen-yaki is the ceramic style of the Okayama prefecture, and is known for being unglazed, iron hard, and for various youhen or kiln effects. It's my favorite of all the ceramic styles in Japan, it's so dynamic. Because Bizen does not use any artificial glazing, the primary decoration in a Bizen piece will be effects on the clay created by the kiln. The kiln can cause a natural glazing on the clay which is caused by the ash of the kiln, which can cause the clay to become deep brown or red, sometimes with the color so deep it almost appears purple. Another spectacular example of natural glazing is when the ash in the kiln will stick onto the clay and become fused onto it in light brown globs called goma or sesame seeds.

Sei-jaku is the second part of the classic tea phrase Wa-Kei Sei-Jaku, which is comprised of the kanji for harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. Sei-Jaku on its own is often translated as serenity in the midst of activity, although I think that has to do with more an alternative spelling of sei-jaku, which uses the kanji for stillness/quietness instead of purity.

The tea dish next to the bowl is from the tea ceremony demonstration at the Kamogawa Odori, the annual dance recital put on by the maiko and geiko of Pontocho.

When I attended the Kamogawa Odori on my recent vacation to Kyoto, I received a second of these dishes, which is a type of plate called a meimei-zara. This sort of plate is used to hold one individual treat, and meimei-zara usually come in sets of five. So, if I attend the Kamogawa Odori three more times, I'll have my own meimei-zara set!