Page 370 - JAPAN THE SHAPING OFDAIMYO CULTURE 1185-1868
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ten seen as a synthesis of the five senses. tea, which broke away from the more pre- typical of Chôjiro's bowls. A dab of black
Often, small pieces of incense are buried cise, severe Chinese style that had held lacquer has been applied to repair a blem-
under the barely lit charcoal and release the fascination of Japanese tea men. In ish on the top rim of the bowl. A slight
their scent just as the guests arrive. Thus 1585 Rikyü commissioned Chôjirô, a tile tinge of green inside Otogoze offers proof
the guests are greeted by the lingering maker for the Jurakudai palace, to create a of its use.
scent of the incense, before they see the new type of teabowl according to his strict Otogoze comes equipped with an im-
host. The guest makes his way along the specifications. pressive array of protective boxes. First,
tea garden path, washes his hands in the In contrast to the wheelthrown Chi- the bowl is wrapped in a cloth bag made
water basin placed outside the tearoom, nese tenmoku bowls (cats. 278, 279), Raku from silk crepe. The inner box is made
and symbolically cleanses his thoughts. teabowls are hand-modeled, with consider- from paulownia wood and bears the name
Warriors were asked to leave their swords ably thicker, straighter walls. Raku bowls of the bowl in the handwriting of the
outside the tearoom door. The use of in- are usually covered with either a somber seventh-generation Hosokawa. Paulownia
cense can be traced to Buddhist ceremo- black or red glaze. Unlike tenmoku bowls, wood is almost religiously used to store
nies. Although the ritualistic, religious use Raku bowls were meant to be placed di- precious tea utensils. It is valued for its ap-
of incense has since been combined with rectly on the mat, rather than on a stand. parent resistance to fire and humidity. In
the purely pleasurable, incense still con- For this reason a Raku bowl has a wider, some areas of Japan it has been the cus-
jures up a feeling of otherworldliness and more stable foot. tom to plant a paulownia tree after the
tranquility. JIK Chôjirô, the founder of the first gen- birth of a daughter. When the daughter is
eration of Raku potters, was commis- ready to marry, the tree has grown large
285 Teabowl, named Otogoze sioned by Hosokawa Sansai (1563-1646) to enough to provide the wood for the trous-
Raku Chôjirô (1516-1592) make this teabowl. Rikyu's grandson Sotan seau containers.
safely be-
To hold a teabowl cradled
h. 8.2 (31/4) gave this bowl the name Otogoze, also the tween both hands, feeling the lulling
Momoyama period name of one other bowl by Chôjirô. Oío-
goze refers to a female, but not to the frail, warmth through the thick clay body, is
Eisei Bunko, Tokyo delicate classical type of beauty. On the truly a sensual experience. All the senses
Important Art Object contrary, this term implies the coarse, are ignited as one lifts the bowl upward to
homely features of a woman with a high the lips. This is followed by a savoring of
It is said that Raku teabowls perfectly cap- forehead, plump and bulging cheeks, and the scent and taste of the tea. Unlike the
ture the wabi spirit of Rikyü's (1522-1591) flat nose. When viewed from above and handle of a western teacup, which dis-
style of tea. Rikyü was responsible for in-
troducing a native Japanese aesthetic to from the side, the slight warp of the une- tances one from the immediacy of the
ven rim is evident. The dull, matte glaze is
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