The World on a tea bowl  "A miniature universe"

These days, the idea of "mindfulness" is praised, but it is nothing new. It is nothing more than remaining in the present, the mantra of both Zen and Daoist ideals, and the concept reflected in the art and crafts of the traditional tea ceremony. The traditional path leading to the tea house is called roji, dewey ground, and comes from a Buddhist sutra which states, "There is no peace in the three worlds; they are like a house in flames," but upon enlightenment, one "emerges from the house in flames and sits on the dewey ground." Thus, the ceremony of tea is a spiritual one, which can lead practitioners to worldly understandings.

The tea house has a small door, so small that guests have to crawl inside, thus accentuating the feeling of separation from the petty thoughts and mundane considerations of the outside world. Inside, the small tea room is bare, with nothing more than a flower vase and a hanging scroll. Referred to as the abode of the unsymmetrical, it may look imperfect, but an appreciation of its beauty allows one to live in the present, to cast away the smaller self and understand the transcendent unity of all people and all things.

The acclaimed tea master Sen no Rikyu wrote:

House and dewy ground.

Guest and host both joined as one,

Share a cup of tea.

In tranquil meditation,

No margin divides their hearts.

Among the prized objects used in the tea ceremony, none is more valued than the tea bowl, and it is said that each bowl is a miniature universe. With countless styles and refined aesthetics, all who strive to understand its beauty will find works that speak to them. Besides the sky-blue and jade-green incised Chinese bowls, the beloved red and black Japanese raku ware, and the prized Korean ido and irabo pieces, there are many other beautiful styles, such as unglazed Bizen pieces, colored by ashen deposits, and partly-glazed Shigaraki works, which highlight the natural beauty of the rough clay hidden under smooth glaze. Hagi potters often leave patches of bare clay between the thick, white glaze that covers each piece. The bare clay suggests desert sands and sometimes contains small pebbles, boulders in the miniature landscape, which are covered by a snowy white glaze that hides all imperfections and echoes the impermanence of all things. See the miniature world in each tea bowl. Their beauty facilitates mindfulness and a refined awareness of details, and will lead beholders to harmonize with their surroundings.

Dr. Ken Jeremiah  

Introduction written exclusively for Onihagi.com by Ken Jeremiah. He has written extensively about history, religion, and critical thinking. His books and articles are available worldwide. 

Ken Jeremiah has written numerous books and articles, and he has translated various works from Spanish, Italian, and Japanese. Dr. Ken Jeremiah has written extensively about history, religion, and critical thinking. His previous books include Remnants of a Distant Past, Christian Mummification, Living Buddhas, Aikido Ground Fighting, and If the Samurai Played Golf...Zen Strategies for a Winning Game. He teaches world language and comparative religion courses, and currently resides in Narragansett, RI. 

Welcome to Onihagi.com

We deliver Japanese tradition art of Japan to the world

Japan is home to one of the most vibrant ceramic cultures in the world. It may also be the source of one of the oldest earthenware traditions, having begun around at least 12,000 years ago. After World War II, six ancient kiln sites came to be known as Nihon Rokkoyo or the "Six Old Kilns." These include: Shigaraki, Bizen, Tanba, Echizen, Seto and Tokoname. There were, in fact, many more than six ancient kilns sites. Many of the artists in New Forms, New Voices reference these ancient ceramic traditions in their work. Below is a brief description of some of these kiln sites and traditional wares 

If you're looking to ceramics, i can help you.  Duties, fees, taxs, customs, delay are all things u can avoid with my service. For thousands of years, pottery and ceramics have been a large part of both the art world and everyday life there in Japan. Like all other aspects of Japanese life, the production of ceramics is a lesson in patience and meticulous craftsmanship. As a result, Japanese ceramics are like nothing else in the world. Whether you're a lot or not into ceramic i assure you that sometimes you can find in front of a tea bowl you can't miss.  I am a big fan of  high-fired unglazed ware. Some are collectively known as 'The Six-Old Kilns of Japan' (Bizen, Shigaraki, Tamba, Echizen, Tokoname and Seto). Even japanese pottery encompasses his entire history from Jomon to the present i do not enjoy everything I follow the  philosophy of Zen aesthetics found within the cosmos and i think that into  Tea bowl is a whole other world of Beauty.

Manuele  真入得 瑠  "Get into the truth and acquire jewels" . 

Hidden Jewels (Nobori-Gama Treasures)

I have passion for Hagi Ware, but it capture my attention Japanese pottery traditionally from Bizen province, and like shiga is fired for a long period in the kiln without glaze, creating subtle gradations in a distinctive seasoned color. Bizen City clay is dug up from rice fields and this iron rich clay is what gives most its dark colors, though, a few potters prefer to use lighter mountain clay. After being processed and shaped by the potter, the wares are fired in a NOBORI-GAMA (climbing kiln).  

Bizen Ware (備前焼,Bizen-yaki)

The Art of "not knowing" Burning Passion.

Bizen has a history of more than 1,000 years, which makes it one of the oldest pottery making techniques in Japan. From Okayama prefecture, it is made using either a mixture of two kinds of rough clays with different densities that has a rich deep reddish brown color because of its high iron content. On a climbed kiln pine wood is used as fuel. It contains resin, which creates high temperature, as discharges too much smoke to be used for fireplaces is ideal for kilns. Some artists like challenge temperature at 600 degrees Celsius, and others keep it more than 1,200 degrees. The placement of pottery inside a kiln changes the conditions in which it is fired, resulting in various different outcomes. Nobody can predict how each piece of pottery will turn out! Bizen wares were produced in and around the village of Imbe in Bizen province, presently a part of Okayama Prefecture. Originating at the end of the 12th century, Bizen reached its height in popularity during the 14th century. The local clay in Imbe had great plasticity; however it was also sticky and fine-grained. This was and is a difficult material for potters due to its high shrinkage and relatively low fire resistance. Bizen ware is not usually glazed because the body shrinks so much during firing that any applied glazes peel off due to the different rates of reduction. Because of the composition of the clay, Bizen wares cannot withstand rapid hightemperature changes, so the firing has to be done gradually. Most pieces were fired slowly over a 10-14 day period of time and firings took place only once or twice a year. Characteristics: 1) The high strength of Imbe clay helped Bizen to retain its form, making it hard even without glaze. 2) Known for its earthen-like, reddish-brown surface color with an absence of glaze (although it may contain traces of molten ash resembling glaze). During the Meiji Period (1868-1912), Bizen wares almost disappeared, along with many other traditional crafts. An effort to preserve this pottery tradition began in the 1930s and Bizen ware was designated a traditional Japanese craft by the government in 1982. At the beginning of the 21st century, it was produced in around 300 kilns and two well-known representatives of Bizen ware are represented in this exhibition: Ryuichi Kakurezaki and Togaku Mori. Fun fact: Traditional lore suggested that food tastes better when served on a Bizen plate, and that flowers last longer in a Bizen vase. Recent scientific analysis has revealed that Bizen pottery blocks 90% of far infrared rays, keeping nearby natural materials fresh, and in the case of food, preserving their taste. The uneven surface of the pottery also makes beer taste better. These factors make Bizen pottery the favorite tableware of high-end restaurants in Japan.