Tea Ceremony
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Tea Bowl, Named “Hashihime (Bridge Maiden)”, Mino ware, Shino type, Azuchi-Momoyama–Edo period, 16th–17th century (Gift of Mr. Matsunaga Yasuzaemon)
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 4
November 22, 2022 (Tue) - February 12, 2023 (Sun)Tea drinking and its role in society changed over time. In the 12th century, Zen monks introduced a new kind of tea drinking from China: green tea was ground into a powder and mixed with hot water. Monks drank this tea as a medicine and to stay awake during meditation.
Before long, the samurai also began to drink tea and competed for prizes in blind tasting competitions. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the elite samurai who ruled Japan focused on the aesthetics of tea drinking. They collected valuable Chinese works like paintings and tea bowls, displaying and using them during tea gatherings.
A century later, Sen no Rikyū (1522–91) established the foundations of the tea ceremony. When serving tea, he used valuable Chinese works together with simple utensils. He also stressed humility and the beauty of imperfection. Elite samurai practiced his style and its variations as a social, aesthetic, and spiritual pursuit.
| Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
| Highlight | Tea Bowl, Named “Hashihime (Bridge Maiden)” | Mino ware, Shino type | Azuchi-Momoyama–Edo period, 16th–17th century | Gift of Mr. Matsunaga Yasuzaemon, G-4830 | |||
| Tea Kettle ("Shinnari Gama") with Pines | Ashiya ware | Muromachi period, 15th century | Gift of Mr. Matsunaga Yasuzaemon, E-20186 | ||||
| Highlight | Apple-Shaped Tea Caddy, Named “Uji” | China, Previously owned by Katagiri Sekishū and Matsu'ura Shigenobu | Southern Song–Yuan dynasty, 13th century | Gift of Mr. Matsunaga Yasuzaemon, TG-2196 | |||
| Tea Scoop | By Gamō Ujisato (1556–95) | Azuchi-Momoyama period, 16th century | Gift of Mr. Matsunaga Yasuzaemon, G-4853 | ||||
| Highlight | Tea Bowl, Named “Amadera (Nunnery)” | Studio of Chōjirō; Raku ware, black-Raku type, Previously owned by Ōgi Rodō | Azuchi-Momoyama period, 16th century | Gift of Mr. Matsunaga Yasuzaemon, G-4836 | |||
| Important Art Object | Part of "Collection of Poems by Fukayabu" (One of the "Fragments from the Private Anthologies of Famous Poets") | Attributed to Ki no Tsurayuki | Heian period, 11th century | Gift of Mr. Matsunaga Yasuzaemon, B-2427 | On exhibit through December 25, 2022 |