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Teabowl Studies

The Journal

Teabowl Studies

茶碗

Reading the chawan — the kilns, the glazes, and how a tea bowl is meant to be held.

Hagi no Nanabake: Why Hagi Ware Changes Color With Use Hagi no nanabake describes the changing appearance of absorbent Hagi ware. Understand glaze crackle, the tea tradition and care that...
Kiri-bako: The Paulownia Box Behind a Japanese Tea Bowl Kiri-bako, tomobako and hakogaki explained: paulownia storage boxes, artists’ inscriptions, provenance, and keeping a tea bowl dry and protected.
The Chasen: How a Bamboo Matcha Whisk Is Made and Used How a bamboo chasen is shaped, what tine designs mean and how to rinse and dry it. Learn about Takayama’s...
Raku Ware: The Hand-Molded Tea Bowl of the Japanese Tea Ceremony Raku tea bowls: hand-shaping, Kyoto tea history, black and red firing differences, and checking intended use and care for the...
Reading a Chawan's Foot Ring: What the Kōdai Reveals How to examine a chawan’s foot ring: shapes, exposed clay, trimming and firing marks, plus careful handling and the limits...
How to Hold a Chawan: Etiquette, Grip, and Why It Matters Hold and turn a matcha bowl with care. An Urasenke usucha example explains the drinking point, kaishi and why detailed...
Five Tea-Bowl Traditions in Japanese Tea Culture An introduction to Raku, Hagi, Karatsu, Mino and Korean Ido tea bowls: their forms, glazes and histories, and what to...

Craft & Kilns

The places, materials and people behind Japanese craft.

Yellow wild-grape Kutani plate and white mejiro rice bowl on a sunlit wooden dining table.

Craft & Kilns

The Story of Kutani Ware

Early Kutani, Yoshidaya and export porcelain: the history behind the styles.

Illustrative home-table visualization of ZenKiln’s red-and-blue Edo Kiriko kagome pair; the actual product photo appears in the guide below.

Craft & Kilns

Edo Kiriko: Tokyo Cut Glass

Illustrative arrangement of pale Hagi-style bowls, cups, and a flask on a wooden table.

Craft & Kilns

Hagi Ware and the Seven Changes

Illustrative arrangement of blue-and-white Hasami-style porcelain for an everyday table.

Craft & Kilns

Hasami Porcelain for Everyday Tables

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Care & Guides

Practical reading for the pieces you use every day.

View all care guides

Series

Stories on tea bowls, Japanese lacquer and ceramic color.

Teabowl Studies

Teabowl Studies

Reading the chawan — kilns, glazes, and how a bowl is held

Urushi Studies

Urushi Studies

The craft of Japanese lacquer, layer by layer

Color of Utsuwa

Color of Utsuwa

How Japanese ceramics found their palette

All Stories

The latest stories, with more to explore by topic.

A greige Shigaraki mug and a yellow Bunzan peony porcelain mug filled with coffee on a wooden breakfast table.

Stoneware or Porcelain?

ZenKiln Journal graphic titled “What Is Furin? A Guide to Japanese Wind Chimes,” featuring three hanging Japanese wind chimes, including a cat-shaped bell and two floral ceramic bells with paper strips.

Gifts & Occasions

What Is Furin? Japanese Wind Chimes and the Sound of Summer

Tokoname white ceramic maneki neko with a raised left paw and gold koban on a wooden desk beside a coin dish and household ledger.

Maneki Neko Meaning and Origins: What Japan’s Lucky Cat Really Means

Eight maneki neko color associations from the Tokoname Tourism Association, with a note that customs vary by region and maker.

Maneki Neko Color Meanings: What Each Lucky Cat Color Means

White Kutani mejiro teapot and yellow bird-and-blossom yunomi on a wooden table set for tea.

What Is Kutani Ware?