Thick-tea caddy

Form#

Body

small wheel-thrown stoneware jarlet (typically H 5.5–9.0 cm) coated over the upper body with dark iron-brown glaze (鉄釉) that stops above the lower belly (釉際), in canonical profiles including Katatsuki (肩衝, angular horizontal shoulder), Bunrin (文琳, rounded apple profile), Nasubi (茄子, plump eggplant), Marutsubo (丸壺, globular with short neck), and Taikai (大海, wide-mouthed low jar)¹²³

Handle

none (or tiny ornamental lug ears on Mimi-tsuki 耳付 variants)

Lid

A fitted lid; historical examples often have ivory lids. Lid, body and pouch may have different dates and should be recorded separately.

Knob

small turned finial button (つまみ) set within a recessed ring on the ivory lid

Base

An unglazed base may preserve cutting or finishing marks. Describe these as features of the individual vessel; wheel direction alone is not a secure test of Chinese or Japanese origin.

Compare an object photograph · 初花肩衝 · Tokugawa Memorial Foundation

Working volume#

A chaire stores dry tea, so its liquid brim volume is not the same as the quantity of matcha it holds. Compare mouth width for access, the interior space and the fitted lid. A fixed number of guests cannot be inferred from the outer height and diameter.

Variants and sub-types#

Katatsuki (肩衝) has a distinct shoulder above the body. Bunrin (文琳) and nasu (茄子) are rounded forms named through fruit comparisons. Taikai (大海) has a wider opening and lower profile. These are distinctions of outline, not fixed volume classes. Examine the lid, pouch and documented history as well as the ceramic body.

History#

1. Domestic Japanese tea caddies were made at several kilns. The later label “Enshū’s Seven Kilns” should not be equated with every kiln associated with Kobori Enshū. The Enshū school lists Shidoro, Zeze, Asahi, Agano, Takatori, Kosobe and Akahada as the usual seven, while acknowledging variant lists and the later formation of this category. 遠州流

Related#