Japan Unknown
Unknown: Tea Bowl Imitating Chinese Jian ware

ceramic
2 x 5 x 5 in.
2015.161
Gift of Stephen and Sophie Mathonnet-VanderWell

This tea bowl is made in the style of Song Dynasty Jian ware but also resemble Muromachi Seto ware. Jian ware originated in Fujian, China, and was brought to Japan by Zen priests. Jian ware was highly valued by Japanese tea masters. Imitations were produced in Seto, Japan, beginning in the Kamakura period (1185–1333). Jian ware was displayed during tea contests in the late Kamakura period and in the tea rooms of the shoguns in the later Muromachi period (1392–1573). The bowl is likely modern imitations in the Jian ware tradition.

Text Panel from the exhibition Chanoyu: Ceramic Art in Japanese Tea Ceremony
March 16 – April 7, 2019
Groot Gallery
Co-curated by students and faculty from Carleton College and St. Olaf College