Needham, MA Oct. 30 - Nov. 27, 2011 International Chawan Exhibition

[Guest JBaymore]

CHAWAN 茶碗

An International Exhibition

 

Opening reception: October 30, 2011 1-4 PM

 

Gorse Mill Gallery

31 Thorpe Road

Needham, MA 02494

 

781- 449-7687

http://www.gorsemillstudios.com/

 

... Listing of Invited Exhibiting Artists:

 

USA

John Baymore

Steven Branfman

Kevin Crowe

Rob Fornell

Chris Gustin

Rick Hirsch

Dick Lehman

Karen Mahoney

Richard Milgrim

Jeff Oestriech

Phil Pollett

Jim Romberg

Sarah Whitlock

 

AUSTRIA

Kurt Spurey

 

BELGIUM

Moniek Camerlynck

Eric Franchimont

Gerda Genijn

Els Janssens

Roos Loeckx

Fien Monsieur

Kari Peeters

Chris Prinsen

Lea Sinneave

Leen Schelfthout

Lou Smedts

Ria De Troch

Anne Vanderstraeten

Marthe Vanhoutte

Griet Werbrouck

 

CANADA

Carol Ann Michaelson

 

CROATIA

Svjetlan Junakovic

Sandra Mihaljevic

Danijela Pesut

Branko Supica

 

CZECH REPUBLIC

Jirí Duchek

 

FRANCE

Rozenn Bigot

Tom Charbit

Dalloun

 

PHILIPPINES

Hadrian Mendoza

 

TAIWAN

Chang Kuei Wei

 

 

茶碗

 

Chawan

 

A Chawan is a bowl used for preparing and drinking powdered green tea, called matcha, in the Japanese Tea Ceremony known as Chado, or “The Way of Teaâ€. There are many types of Chawan used in tea ceremony, and the choice of bowl depends upon many considerations including the

particular guests to be served, the other teaware objects used, the season of the year, the time of day, and the formality of the ceremony.

 

The history of the tea ceremony

 

With its actual origins lost in legend, the custom of drinking tea prepared from the steeping of leaves, first for medicinal and then for purely pleasurable reasons, was already widespread throughout China by the Tang Dynasty. By the early 9th century, Chinese author Lu Yu wrote the Ch’a Ching, a treatise on tea focusing on its cultivation and preparation. Lu Yu’s life had been heavily influenced by Buddhism, particularly the school that later became known in Japan as Zen, and his ideas had a

strong influence in the early development of the Japanese tea ceremony.

Though it is not native to the country, the drinking of steeped tea was then introduced into Japan in 806 by the Shingon Buddhist monk KÅ«kai who had traveled to Tang China. Tea drinking soon became popular with the aristocracy in Japan, and in the year 816 C.E., tea plants began to be

cultivated there by Imperial decree.

 

In the early 12th century, a new form of preparing tea, using whisked powdered matcha, was introduced into Japan by the Rinzai Zen priest Eisai returning from studies in China. This powdered green tea, which derives from the same plant as black tea but is steamed instead of fermented, was first used during religious rituals in Buddhist monasteries. By the war-torn and turbulent 13th century, upper-class samurai warriors had embraced the formal preparation and drinking of matcha,

first as a display of wealth and power, and later as an oasis of calm amidst the increasing carnage. From this evolving practice the foundations of the formal Tea Ceremony were laid.

 

Tea Ceremony developed as a “transformative practice,†and began to evolve its own aesthetic, incorporating in particular the way of “wabi†meaning quiet or sober refinement, or subdued taste. The wabi-style of tea is characterized by humility, restraint, simplicity, naturalism, profundity, imperfection, and asymmetry. It emphasizes simple, unadorned objects and architectural spaces, and celebrates mellow beauty that passing time and constant use and care impart to materials. By the 16th century, tea drinking had spread to most all levels of society in Japan.

 

ichi-go ichi-e 和敬清寂

 

Sen no Rikyu, perhaps the most well-known and still revered historical figure in Tea Ceremony, introduced the concept of “ichi-go ichi-eâ€, literally “one time, one meetingâ€, a belief that each Tea Ceremony should be treasured, for it can never be reproduced. This introspective philosophy was a product of the perilous times in which people then lived. His other teachings led to the development of new forms in tea architecture and gardens, fine and applied arts, and to the further development of Chado. The core principles he set forward, harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility, are still central

to contemporary Tea Ceremony.

 

Today, young Japanese potters and tea devotees are searching for new ways to interpret and further develop this ancient tradition for a new audience. Potters from around the world are also touched by the world of Chado, and explore their interpretations of the noble teacup, called Chawan, that you see here today.

 

(This historical account compiled by Lou Smedts with portions excerpted from Wikipedia.)