Teabowl 1665 - 1685

Editor: So, this is the Teabowl by Ichinyu, likely made between 1665 and 1685. It’s a ceramic piece, currently housed at the Met. It has a solemn and rustic quality. What catches your eye when you look at it? Curator: The sheer physicality of this object is striking. I see not just a bowl, but a record of labor, of someone’s interaction with clay, with fire. This wasn't effortlessly conjured. The rough texture tells a story about the making. How was this ceramic object fired and under what conditions, what kind of glazes were used, who mixed these? And what does the act of repeated tea consumption communicate in Japanese culture at this moment in time? Editor: That’s fascinating. I was focused on its shape, but you're leading me to think about its creation, and even the social context in which something like this becomes useful. The labor and the purpose. Curator: Exactly. Consider how different the status of ceramics might be across various cultures. Here, what appear to be irregularities are celebrated rather than hidden, in line with wabi-sabi aesthetics that find beauty in imperfection and transience, particularly visible in functional objects consumed in daily life. How does its function elevate or devalue it? How are notions of “fine art” challenged through elevating utilitarian pottery? Editor: It’s interesting how the use of something elevates it from just a thing to something culturally important, something beyond its raw materials. Curator: Precisely. The teabowl becomes more than just clay, and by understanding its materiality we are better positioned to understand its value in social and historical contexts. Editor: I never thought about a bowl holding so much meaning. Curator: Materiality is everything. I'm happy to learn alongside you and share this moment.