Millie Carpenter on sun 2 feb 03
Hi
today as I have drifted from one site to another, admiring things, I
began to wonder what the difference is between a tea bowl and a yunomi.
at first I thought that they were different language words for the same
thing, a tea bowl. then I began to notice that generally yunomi are
taller than they are wide and tea bowls are wider than they are tall.
but I kept seeing that a goodly amount were, measuring in cm, the same
dimensions. So since I ask the group, what is the difference?
Millie in Md. where the sun is shining, the temperature is in the upper
40's and the teenagers are running around outside wearing shorts and
sandals. :-
Hank Murrow on sun 2 feb 03
On Sunday, February 2, 2003, at 01:22 PM, Millie Carpenter wrote:
> Hi
>
> today as I have drifted from one site to another, admiring things, I
> began to wonder what the difference is between a tea bowl and a
> yunomi.
> at first I thought that they were different language words for the same
> thing, a tea bowl. then I began to notice that generally yunomi are
> taller than they are wide and tea bowls are wider than they are tall.
> but I kept seeing that a goodly amount were, measuring in cm, the same
> dimensions. So since I ask the group, what is the difference?
>
Dear Millie;
Teabowls in Japanese culture are generally big enough to use a tea
whisk to stir the powdered green tea (Matcha) into the hot water.
Teabowls may be rather closed shapes for winter use, to quite open
shapes for use in summer. Tea made this way is mader at a lower
temperature and the bowl further cools it, so the bowl is cradled in
the left hand and turned &
tipped with the right. For this reason, Teabowls usually have a less
pronounced footring, if any at all.
Yunomi are, as you say, tallish and have a trimmed foot ring. They are
made to serve brewed Sencha, or green leaf tea. No whisk is used, and
the yunomi is held by the foot and the rim until cool enough to cradle
in the palm.
While I do not claim to make Teabowls..........you may see both types
at my site www.murrow.biz/hank/tea-interest.htm #s 060 & 069.
This is only the understanding of a potter interested in Tea.......not
a Person of Tea.
Nevertheless........Cheers, Hank in Eugene
Paul Lewing on mon 3 feb 03
on 2/2/03 4:04 PM, Hank Murrow at hmurrow@EFN.ORG wrote:
> Yunomi are, as you say, tallish and have a trimmed foot ring. They are
> made to serve brewed Sencha, or green leaf tea.
They are also the subject of that old John Lennon song, "I know you, Yunomi.
Got to be good-lookin' cause he's so hard to see.
Come together.
Right now.
Over me."
Sorry, Paul Lewing, Seattle, with too much time on his hands.
John Baymore on mon 10 feb 03
......I began to wonder what the difference is between a tea bowl and a
yunomi.
at first I thought that they were different language words for the same
thing, a tea bowl. then I began to notice that generally yunomi are
taller than they are wide and tea bowls are wider than they are tall.
but I kept seeing that a goodly amount were, measuring in cm, the same
dimensions. So since I ask the group, what is the difference?
Hi Millie,
Been offline for a while and now catching up ....and have been just
scanning CLAYART message headers. This one caught my eye.
Some of the confusion is likely due to imprecise language issues........ =
a
suibject which gets discussed relative to a lot of things here on CLAYART=
from time to time. The term "tea bowl" might be thought of as any
handleless vessel used for drinking tea. As such, that is a pretty BROAD=
approach to the idea. Most people who have some serious Japanese
influences in their life mean "a tea drinking vessel for formal ceremony
use" when they say "tea bowl"...... and use "yunomi" for the cup used for=
drinking day-to-day tea. Many western potters make what they loosely cal=
l
"tea bowls".... that are a general interpretation of a nice Japanese bowl=
form .....but are not in the strictest sense really suitable for chanoyu
(tea ceremony) by a "serious" practitioner (but see the comment on "rules=
"
below ).
Using that thought....... a "tea ceremony bowl" can also be a "tea bowl"
........ but it is not a "yunomi". A "yunomi" is a type of "tea bowl", b=
ut
it is not for chanoyu (tea ceremony). A "tea bowl" might also be used to=
refer to either a "yunomi" or a "tea ceremony bowl" if you don't want or
need to be really precise about it. Typically, a yunomi has a more
vertical proportion and a tea bowl has a more horizontal proportion......=
but there are examples that break those generalizatrions. For some...the=
se
distinctions might be important....for others..... they probably don't ca=
re
too much.
And if a tea master says an old inverted hubcap is a teabowl when he/she =
is
preparing a ceremony......... it is.
You can think of a yunomi as sort of the Japanese equivalent to the
American's coffee mug . It is for the day to day drinking of steeped
green tea.
Tea bowls for the formal ceremony are overlaid with lots of historical an=
d
cultural issues..... and the formal "rules" of what is considered when
making and using a tea bowl can get quite complicated. And of course a
good tea master knows just how to break any and all of the rules . It=
is a complex subject that melds day-to-day home life with Shinto religiou=
s
beliefs, the following of strict ritual, movement that is akin to dance,
the pursuit of "Wa" (harmony) in life, adds a dose of political and socia=
l
practices based in the 15th century, and throws in a pinch of devout
reverence for the past. If it interests you, Steve Branfman's "Potters
Shop" has numerous books on the subject.
The tea used in chanoyu (tea ceromony) is very different from what most
westerners think of as "tea". Compared to the tea westerners drink, it i=
s
a somewhat thick concoction made of finely powdered tea leaves (matcha)
whipped into a small amount of hot water. You are drinking the powdered=
tea, not just water with tea flavoring. (Sometimes "thick tea" is
made.......... where the percentage of powdered matcha to water in
increased a lot. This is quite thick.) =
The matcha (green tea) looks sort of like dry green tempra paint in
consistency and even in color . It is very different from the steeped=
tea that westerners are familiar with. It is wonderful tasting
stuff....... to me has a "healthy" smell and taste......... and has a bit=
of a caffiene kick . Matcha can be expensive...... even the "cheap
stuff" ain't cheap. For the best....... you'll need a mortgage . Thi=
s
tea is whipped to a froth with a small bamboo whisk in the teabowl. A
yunomi would not have the space for the whisk to be used....they are
typically too small, ..........and a yunomi would typically have too shar=
p
a shoulder on the interior bottom for the proper use of the whisk.
The tea is consumed pretty immediately after eating a small sweet
concoction of one sort or another. The volume of tea is such that it can=
be finished in three "sips"......... not what westerners would think of a=
s
a "cup of tea" . A teabowl, when placed in front of the guest, is
mostly empty space with the foamy green tea in the bottom. The emptry
interior space is important. The residue of tea that is left in the
depressions in the bottom of the bowl AFTER it has been consumed is a ver=
y
important aspect of a good teabowl.
BTW....... I like Fred Olsen's term for his "teabowl" forms........
"bourbon bowls".
Hope this is of help.
Best,
..............................john
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086 USA
603-654-2752 (s)
800-900-1110 (s)
JohnBaymore.com
JBaymore@compuserve.com
DATES SET: Earth, Water, and Fire Noborigama Woodfiring Workshop: Augus=
t
15 - 24, 2003
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