Waste-water bowl
Also called 茶洗Also called 水方Also called 茶盂Also called こぼし
A receptacle for water used to rinse and warm tea utensils. In Japanese chanoyu it is called kensui or koboshi. Chinese and Taiwanese tea settings also have waste-water vessels, but their names, shapes and use should be described within their own traditions.
On this page
- 1Rim
- 2Body
- 3Base
Form#
- Body
- deep globular jar (盂形), waisted sack-shaped bowl (袋形, fukurogata), stacked ring cylinder (輪口 / 棒先), or wide-shouldered alms-bowl (钵盂形), often with an inward-turned rim (敛口) or removable perforated lid (渣斗盖) that hides wastewater and spent leaves inside1234
- Lid
- open mouth in Japanese Chadō, or an optional concave funnel lid with a central drain opening (茶盂盖) on Chinese/Taiwanese dry-brewing 建水
- Base
- wide flat base or low ring foot (圈足)
Compare an object photograph · National Museum of Asian Art · F1911.397
Working volume#
The useful volume depends on the vessel’s role in the set. A cooling or serving vessel should receive the intended transfer without filling to the rim; a fresh-water or waste-water vessel serves a different purpose. Exterior dimensions alone do not establish any of these working volumes.
Variants and sub-types#
| Name | 日本語 · 中文 · 한국어 | Difference | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bōsaki & Fukuro-gata (classic chanoyu shapes) | 棒先（ぼうさき）・袋形（ふくろがた） | Canonical Japanese chanoyu silhouettes : Bōsaki has a sharply carinated lower belly tapering like a staff tip; Fukuro-gata swells in a soft pouch-like curve below a waisted neck | 12 |
| mentori / Warikōdai / Gōsu (faceted & stoneware kensui) | 面取（めんとリ）・槍鞘（やりざや）・信楽／萩／唐津建水 | Japanese stoneware kensui in Shigaraki, Bizen, Hagi, Karatsu, or Raku ware featuring knife-chamfered facets (面取) or horizontal ribbing like a spear scabbard (槍鞘, popularized by Furuta Oribe) | 12 |
| Efugo &モール (metal & Sahari kensui) | 餌畚（えふご）・モール（毛織）建水 | Imported or domestic cast-bronze / sahari (砂張, copper-tin-lead alloy) and beaten-copper bowls shaped like a falconer's feed basket (餌畚) or spirally ribbed (モール); prized for their crisp acoustic ring when water is poured in | 12 |
| Chinese Zhadou / Chayu / Shuifang (spittoon-jar & dry-brew basin) | 渣斗（唾壶）・茶盂・水方（中／臺） | Tang–Song celadon and white-ware zhadou (渣斗, globular belly with wide trumpet flare rim to hide dregs) and modern Taiwanese/Chinese dry-brew (干泡) ceramic/stoneware chayu (茶盂) and rectangular shuifang | 34 |
| Korean Toesugi (darye waste-water bowl) | 퇴수기（退水器, 한） | Korean white porcelain, buncheong, or Onggi wide-lipped bowl with an inward-sloping splash collar or open flared rim, paired with the dagwan and sukwu in Korean darye | 5 |
History#
- Tang to Song China (涤方 / 渣斗)Lu Yu's 茶经 lists the 涤方 (holding eight sheng, made of wood or ceramic to collect waste water after washing utensils), while Tang–Song Yue celadon, Ding white ware, and Yaozhou celadon produced flared-neck spittoon/waste jars (渣斗 / 茶洗) excavated from Tang–Song tombs and pagoda crypts.5
- In chanoyu, a matching kaigu ensemble comprises the fresh-water jar (mizusashi), ladle stand (shakutate), waste-water bowl (kensui) and lid rest (futaoki). Omotesenke defines the ensemble through their coordinated material and decoration. 表千家 · 皆具
- 1990s–present Taiwan & China (Dry-brewing revival)With the rise of dry-brewing tea tables (干泡茶席) using a compact 壶承 instead of a draining tray, the lidded or open ceramic 建水 / 水方 / 茶洗 returned as an essential table side-vessel.4
Sources#
Status and editorial notes sources cited
Sources are listed below. Their presence does not certify every claim; source-specific interpretations and unresolved questions are identified in the text. This page has not received independent expert approval.