Tea Ceremony
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Square-Shouldered Tea Container, Named "Shōzan (Pine Mountain)", Southern Song–Yuan dynasty, 13th century (Gift of Mr. Harada Kichizō)
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 4
January 2, 2025 (Thu) - March 9, 2025 (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 | "Hot Water" | By Wuzhun Shifan (1177–1249), China | Southern Song dynasty, 13th century | Gift of Mr. Hirota Matsushige, TB-1437 | On exhibit through February 2, 2025 | ||
| Highlight | Flower Vase with Phoenix-Shaped Handles | Longquan ware, China, Storage box inscribed by Kanamori Sōwa | Southern Song–Yuan dynasty, 13th century | Lent by the Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation, Tokyo | |||
| Highlight | Square-Shouldered Tea Container, Named "Shōzan (Pine Mountain)" | China | Southern Song–Yuan dynasty, 13th century | Gift of Mr. Harada Kichizō, TG-2928 | |||
| Highlight | Tea Bowl, Named “Sano Ido” | Korea | Joseon dynasty, 16th century | Gift of Mr. Hirota Matsushige, TG-2707 | |||
| 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 |