My research explores the question: What are the key features of a Japanese tea caddy and how do they vary materially by region and time period? By analyzing a distinct cultural object like a tea caddy, I am able to discern the key differences that emerge as the region and time period vary. I will ask questions such as “How did the geography of a piece limit/increase the influence of surrounding cultures on tea caddies?” and “How did advancements in ceramic technologies change the construction and aesthetics of tea caddies?” Moreover, focusing on an object that is integrated into a cultural practice responds to the question “What is Asian Art?” by illustrating an everyday occurrence of “art” in the Asian culture of Japan. Analyzing tea caddies will reveal concepts and ideas not just about ceramics, but also Japanese tea culture and its evolution.
Chado, or the tea ceremony, was introduced in Japan from China in the 11th century, originally as a practice for monks in Buddhist monasteries. Tied to the spread of Zen Buddhism, the practice had spread throughout Japanese society by the 16th century. By the Muromachi period, a “practical and ideological basis” had been established by three main tea masters: Murata Shuko, Take no Joo, and Sen no Rikyu. Theodore M. Ludwig, a religious historian, described the emergence of the tea ceremony as a “synthesis of many Japanese aesthetic and religious traditions, and it continued to exercise an influential role in subsequent cultural activity.” Chado became institutionalized in a way, having a great effect on arts and culture throughout Japan, most directly ceramics and architecture as teaware and structures for tea ceremonies were in high demand.
As an “expression of Zen,” the tea ceremony is focused on the thoughtful and careful preparation of tea. As such, materials used in the tea ceremony, known as teaware, are considered central to the practice. Each object used has a significance and purpose. Teaware includes items like tea bowls, tea cups, and tea caddies. Early tea drinking in Japan first utilized Chinese tea ware, then Japanese potters began to imitate Chinese teaware creating a glaze style known as tenmoku. As Chado became more prevalent, kilns began to produce higher volumes of tea ware and a uniquely Japanese aesthetic emerged.
Placing the caddies in a timeline prompts questions about aesthetic changes in Japanese tea ceramics and the stylistic influences that emerge over time. What were the dominant artistic influences in Japan during the three periods? The timeline also raises questions about ceramic materials. Was stoneware or porcelain more popular in tea ceramics during the three periods? When/where did the different glazing techniques emerge? While raising questions, the timeline also illustrates the key features of a Japanese tea caddy: relatively small, lidded, and aesthetically pleasing without sacrificing functionality.
The selected tea caddies span over four time periods in Japan, from the late Muromachi Period to the middle of the Meiji period.
The Muromachi period, which began in 1338, was a time of stability in the earlier years until the Ōnin War erupted in 1467 and marked the start of a century of war and political instability. Still, the Muromachi period is recognized as a time of significant cultural growth, especially for practices rooted in Zen Buddhism like the tea ceremony. By the end of the period in 1573, the tea ceremony and its ideological basis had spread throughout Japanese society.
The Momoyama period followed, only lasting for 30 years until 1603. The period was a time of political unification and is notable for its disproportionate contribution to arts and culture as they flourished throughout Japan.
The Edo period, recognized as the last “traditional period” of Japan, was a time of internal stability and economic growth. Occurring under the shogunate, a military dictatorship, there was a frozen social order and isolationist foreign policies resulting in very little contact with other countries. Nevertheless, there was a widespread appreciation for arts and culture, especially in flourishing urban centers. The period ended in 1868 with the Meiji Restoration and the Boshin War.
The Meiji period, which lasted until 1912, was an era of significant economic and political change. Viewed as the “modernizing” and “westernizing” period of Japan, there was rapid industrialization, a shift from isolationist foreign policy to globalized foreign policy, and the social order changed to more closely reflect that of Western countries. Imitation of and later blending with Western styles became prevalent in Japanese arts and literature as the country sought to join the international market and gain recognition on a global scale. Martin Lerner, a curator of Southeast Asian art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art describes the last quarter of the sixteenth century to the early eighteenth century as an “awe-inspiring” period for Japanese ceramics given its “extraordinary originality and sheer variety.” This is when the “typically Japanese” ceramic aesthetic became distinct, meaning it was “so very dissimilar to that of China or Korea.”
The first object is from the Muromachi period. The tea caddy is a stoneware bottle-like vessel with variable brown ash glaze, a result of the firing process. There are small ridges striping around the vessel, indicating the piece was likely made using some type of throwing wheel. The lid is made of a different unnamed material, perhaps ivory, and has a small round handle. The vessel is a chaire tea caddy, meaning it was constructed to contain thicker loose tea. The caddy is an example of Ko-Seto ware as it was produced in or around the city of Seto, illustrating the distinct ash glaze of the region.
The second caddy is a tall vessel from the early part of the Edo period. The maker, Nonomura Ninsei, was a highly influential potter and his work is thought to “mark a turning point in the history of Kyoto ware.” The caddy, produced at his kiln in northwest Kyoto bares a reddish-brown iron glaze with dark horizontal striping and a simple two-scalloped border, likely achieved by dipping the pot in the glaze. The bottom of the pot is unglazed showcasing the raw clay body, the matte surface contrasting the sheen of the glaze. On one side of the caddy, there is a dark spot with black, shiny drips falling from it. The surface treatment of this caddy is remarkably different from his sought-after Omuro ware with intricate and colorful overglaze designs. Still, the tall and thin form is highly technical and refined demonstrating Ninsei’s craftsmanship. Without any reference to its scale, the caddy looks like it could be a large vessel but it is just under 6 inches tall making the form even more impressive as even the small irregularity has a significant visual impact. The iron glaze has interesting variance and depth, complimenting the simple form.
The third caddy is an impressive disc-like form, coming to a clean, wide point at the middle and then narrowing so the foot and opening match in width. The caddy is nearly symmetrical when viewed horizontally and vertically. However, there are small irregularities that result in a more organic appearance. At just 4.4cm tall, the vessel is incredibly small. The pot is covered in a brassy iron glaze with dark flecks creating an interesting surface. The pattern that appears almost like lichen on tree bark is a product of the metals in the glaze reacting in the firing and could not be predicted before the pot was placed in the kiln. There is a slight texture on the surface of the vessel, either from the clay body or larger particles in the glaze, adding to the organic feeling of the caddy. The striking yet slightly irregular form coupled with the naturalistic surface exemplifies the Japanese tea aesthetic.
The fourth object is from the Edo period. The tea caddy is a small, round porcelain vessel with a hand-painted blue wave and swirl underglaze pattern. The darkness of the blue varies throughout the pattern, as does the motif, and contrasts with the symmetry of the vessel. The ivory lid is slightly concave and bright white, sitting perfectly center atop the vessel. Just like the previous caddy, the vessel was used to store thicker loose tea for tea ceremonies. The use of porcelain and the blue surface decoration may indicate influence from the limited contact that was allowed with Chinese and Dutch merchants during the Edo period. While the exact location of production is unknown, the caddy may be an example of Kyoto ware with its bright color and elegant shape.
The final object is from the Meiji period. The tea caddy is a light-yellow lidded stoneware jar with a highly-detailed fish, crab, and seaweed design painted in light shades of black, red, and brown overglaze. A pattern resembling a fishing net encases the entire vessel with striking regularity. Unlike the first two caddies, this vessel is a natsume tea caddy designed to hold very fine loose teas. The region of production is unknown, but the overall aesthetic of the piece shares similarities with the works of Makuzu Kōzan, a master potter of the Meiji period based in Kyoto. Additionally, the Meiji era was one of rapid political, economic, and social change viewed as the modernizing period of Japan. During this time, Western art was imitated and Western styles were blended with traditional Japanese styles. This caddy may illustrate such stylistic and technological phenomena of the period with its complexity and precision.
Analyzing the caddies as a collection reveals answers to the guiding questions. Small, lidded, and aesthetically pleasing without sacrificing functionality are all key features of a Japanese tea caddy. When made in ceramic, the caddies are usually stoneware. While stoneware was used throughout Japan, the specific contents and effects of the stoneware varied slightly based on the materials available in the region. For example, Shino ware, produced in the Mino Provence, is notably sandy with a rougher surface texture. Interestingly, porcelain, after it was discovered in Arita in the early 1600s, did not take hold in the same way it did in neighboring countries like Korea and China. When porcelain was used, it was most commonly for export or when imitating styles from other cultures. As such, the clay bodies used stayed relatively consistent throughout regions and time periods. Glazing techniques, however, did vary. Caddies produced in the earlier periods were more likely to use glazes that rely on the combustion and reduction reactions in the kiln to create beautiful, organic surfaces. Specific techniques varied by region, influenced my local potters. Later examples were more likely to use illustrative techniques and under/overglazes. As potters sought to achieve a more “western” aesthetic and appeal to a globalized market, earlier “uniquely Japanese” glazing techniques were largely abandoned in favor of techniques heavily influenced by western design.
Moreover, analyzing the caddies as a group allows the viewer to better understand the evolution of Japanese identity as expressed through art.
The oldest caddy, from the Muromachi period, is a good example of Japanese tea ware designed for Japanese consumers. With its irregular warm brown ash glaze and an imperfect but simple form, the caddy exemplifies a style of tea ware produced in Seto kilns that were tailored to traditional Japanese taste. The second and third caddies illustrate the technicality and complexity required of potters, even when creating rather simple forms. The iron glazes, also suited to Japanese taste, reveal the aesthetic preferences of the time while demonstrating a perfected technology of the era. The irregular surfaces that come out of using ash and iron glazes are a result of the calculated manipulation of materials by master potters, and while the finished products were sometimes unexpected, they were never accidental. As such, the first three caddies are symbols of internal Japanese identity at a time when Japanese arts and culture, particularly the tea ceremony, were emerging rapidly and with distinction. The last caddy of the Edo period is perhaps indicative of the limited trade Japan had with Dutch and Chinese merchants while maintaining a rather insular, “traditional” culture. The simple shape and function of the vessel illustrate “traditional” Japanese identity while the symmetry and blue pattern-based design are reminiscent of ceramics from the Netherlands and China. The caddy was likely intended for Western consumers as the production and trade of porcelain flourished in cities during the Edo period primarily for export. The final caddy is a precisely decorated and symmetrical vessel that illustrates the widespread imitation of Western during the Meiji period as Japan sought to join the global market and appeal to Western consumers period at this time, deemed the modernizing period of Japan.
Nevertheless, all of the vessels are “self-image” symbols of identity as tea caddies are a central part of a long-standing and widespread cultural practice. The creation of specific teaware emerged to fulfill a demand from Japanese consumers, meaning – at least in the earlier days– they were produced with Japanese taste in mind. As history progresses, the aesthetics of the caddies change and indicate the changing notions within Japanese identity as the country moves from an isolationist to a globalized culture. Critically, tea caddies can be used to construct a problematic, orientalist idea of Japanese identity that exoticizes or diminishes the culture. For example, some may look at the first caddy with a Western lens and deem it unrefined or less sophisticated than its later counterparts with more intricate designs. In reality, ash glazing is a highly complicated process that uses various materials to achieve a result that demonstrates the plasticity of natural materials and evokes the notion of simple beauty in the viewer. All five caddies are equally Japanese and illustrate how the national identity of Japan evolved through various political periods.
Bibliography
Barbara Lynne Rowland Mori. “The Tea Ceremony: A Transformed Japanese Ritual.” Gender and Society 5, no. 1 (1991): 86–97. http://www.jstor.org/stable/189931.
- This article was published in 1991 in Gender and Society, a journal that “promotes feminist scholarship and the social scientific study of gender.” The author, Barbara Lynne Rowland Mori, was a professor of sociology at Cal Poly and has written other articles on Japanese society. Given the author’s background and the scope of the article, there is no visual analysis or images of art. There is also no information about the technical aspect of ceramics or important materials. However, this source provides valuable information on the introduction and evolution of “Chado,” or the tea ceremony, in Japan. This is integral to my research as tea caddies, and tea ware as a whole, were created to fulfill a demand made by the proliferation of the tea ceremony. As the article focuses on the woman’s role in the tea ceremony, it explains the cultural evolution of the practice, a crucial history needed to fully understand the aesthetic evolution of tea caddies as just one part of a larger ceremony.
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Azuchi-Momoyama period.” Encyclopedia Britannica, July 20, 1998. https://www.britannica.com/event/Azuchi-Momoyama-period.
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Lee, Sherman E. “Some Japanese Tea Taste Ceramics.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 60, no. 9 (1973): 267–78. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25152498.
- The article was written for The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, a journal published by the Cleveland Museum of Art from 1914-1995. The author, Sherman E. Lee, was the director of the museum from 1958 to 1983, and authored a number of articles focused on the museums collections. The article includes images and analysis of japanese ceramics and prints from the museum’s collections. While Lee grew up in the United States and completed all of his education in the US, he challenges the widespread problematic and reductive view of Japanese ceramics as difficult and less worthy than their Chinese and European counterparts. This article describes the attributes of ceramics made specifically to “Japanese taste” and how they differ from characteristics valued by the West. The source also includes information about artistic influences from neighboring countries, describes distinct regional styles within Japanese ceramics (Kyoto ware, Tamba ware, etc.), and details the evolution of the “Japanese tea aesthetic” throughout a number of time periods. This source is highly relevant to my research as it is specific to my niche within Japanese ceramics and describes different materials and techniques used by region and over my selected time periods. This source has already answered a number of my questions and has served as a jumping-off point for further research.
Lerner, Martin. “Tea-Ceremony Pottery and Export Porcelain.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 54, no. 9 (1967): 267–92. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25152177.
Ludwig, Theodore M. “Before Rikyū. Religious and Aesthetic Influences in the Early History of the Tea Ceremony.” Monumenta Nipponica 36, no. 4 (1981): 367–90. https://doi.org/10.2307/2384225.
Pitelka, Morgan. “Warriors, Tea, and Art in Premodern Japan.” Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 88, no. 1/4 (2014): 20–33. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43493625.
