chaire　茶入
KEY WORD :　architecture / tea houses
　
A tea caddy, usually ceramic, used to hold strong tea at a tea ceremony. Its dimensions vary, ranging from 3-15cm high, with a diameter of about 4-8cm. First brought to Japan in the 13c, the most valued chaire were made in Southern Song and Yuan China and thus considered *karamono 唐物 in Japan. Usually a chaire is put in a bag shifuku 仕覆, made of very fine material, such as high quality silk gold brocade, damask or striped silk called kantou 間道, from China, and carried into the tea ceremony room. The gorgeous material of the bag was also appreciated at a tea ceremony. Chaire were made in Japanese kilns from the Momoyama period. For the parts of the tea caddy. The methods of making the bottom of the tea caddy were as follows:

1　itokiri 糸切り: The clay bottom of the tea caddy is separated from the potter's wheel by using string that leaves a spiral mark. Japanese and Chinese tea caddies can be distinguished by these marks. Seto 瀬戸 objects have a right ward string cut, considered the normal string cutsince a potter's wheel turns clockwise, but Chinese objects have a left-ward side string cut because their potter's wheels turn counter clockwise.

2　uzu-itokiri 渦糸切り: If clay is removed from the potter's wheel with a nail or spatula, a spiral pattern will result from a gentle, extra turn of the wheel. This spiral is an important feature in the tea ceremony.

3　maru-itokiri 丸糸切り: Related to itokiri 糸切り. A string line, which is created on the bottom of the tea caddy when it is removed from the pottery wheel, this technique sometimes used for the most exquisite of tea caddies.

4　wa-itokiri 輪糸切り: To carve many concentric circles with a thin needle on the bottom of formed clay. The word may also be used for the pattern itself.
　


a) koshiki 甑 (nodo のど）　b) *kata 肩
c) douhimo 胴紐　d) dou 胴


　
REFERENCES:
*chaki　茶器
EXTERNAL LINKS: 
　　
NOTES: 
　

(C)2001 Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System.　No reproduction or republication without written permission.
掲載のテキスト・写真・イラストなど、全てのコンテンツの無断複製・転載を禁じます。