Tea Ceremony
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Tea Bowl, Named Furisode (Swinging Sleeves)
Mino ware, Shino style, Azuchi-Momoyama–Edo period, 16th–17th centuryJapanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 4
November 11, 2025 (Tue) - February 1, 2026 (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 | ||
| Tea Kettle (Shinnari Gama) with Pines | Ashiya ware | Muromachi period, 15th century | Gift of Mr. Matsunaga Yasuzaemon, E-20186 | ||||
| Highlight | Pouch-Shaped Water Jar | Shigaraki ware | Edo period, 17th century | Gift of Mr. Hirota Matsushige, G-5308 | |||
| Highlight | Tea Bowl, Named “Furisode (Swinging Sleeves)” | Mino ware, Shino style | Azuchi-Momoyama–Edo period, 16th–17th century | G-5749 | |||
| 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 | |||
| Highlight | Tea Bowl, Named “Amadera (Nunnery)” | Studio of Chōjirō; Black Raku style, Previously owned by Ōgi Rodō | Azuchi-Momoyama period, 16th century | Gift of Mr. Matsunaga Yasuzaemon, G-4836 | |||
| Bowl with Flowering Plants | Zhangzhou ware, China | Ming dynasty, 17th century | Gift of Mr. Hirota Matsushige, TG-2550 | ||||
| Sake Bottle with Circles | Zhangzhou ware, China | Ming dynasty, 17th century | Gift of Mr. Hirota Matsushige, TG-2551 | ||||
| Incense Container in the Shape of a Foundation Stone | Iga ware | Edo period, 17th century | G-193 |