Tea Ceremony
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Tea Bowl, Named "Uraku Ido", Previously owned by Oda Urakusai and Kinokuniya Bunzaemon, Joseon dynasty, 16th century (Important Art Object, Gift of Mr. Matsunaga Yasuzaemon)
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 4
October 8, 2024 (Tue) - December 22, 2024 (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 | Important Cultural Property | Poem from a Pilgrimage to the Kumano Shrine | By Asukai Masatsune (1170–1221) | Kamakura period, 1200 | B-2404 | On exhibit through November 17, 2024 | |
| Flower Vase, Named "Onjōji" | Attributed to Sen no Rikyū (1522–91) | Azuchi-Momoyama period, 1590 | Gift of Mr. Matsudaira Naoaki, G-4217-1 | ||||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Tea Kettle ("Shinnari Gama") with Pines on the Shore | Ashiya ware | Muromachi period, 15th century | E-19998 | ||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Water Jar, Named "Shiba no Iori (Grass Hut)" | Shigaraki ware | Azuchi-Momoyama–Edo period, 16th–17th century | Gift of Mr. Hirota Matsushige, G-5307 | ||
| Highlight | Important Art Object | Tea Bowl, Named "Uraku Ido" | Korea, Previously owned by Oda Urakusai and Kinokuniya Bunzaemon | Joseon dynasty, 16th century | Gift of Mr. Matsunaga Yasuzaemon, TG-2204 | ||
| Fan-Shaped Food Cups ("Mukōzuke") | Mino ware, Oribe style | Edo period, 17th century | G-5760 | ||||
| Dish with an Upturned Rim | Bizen ware | Edo period, 17th century | G-5775 | ||||
| Tea Scoop | By Gamō Ujisato (1556–95) | Azuchi-Momoyama period, 16th century | Gift of Mr. Matsunaga Yasuzaemon, G-4853 | ||||
| Tea Bowl, Named “Hashihime (Princess of the Bridge)” | Mino ware, Shino style | Azuchi-Momoyama–Edo period, 16th–17th century | Gift of Mr. Matsunaga Yasuzaemon, G-4830 |