Ceramics: Japanese Tea Bowls

Japanese Tea Bowl Pinch Pots:

Purpose:
Japanese Tea Ceremonies

     Special tradition of making Matcha tea.  Buddhism was a huge influence on the tradition: focusing all your energy into the moment in time.

     The tea bowl comes in many shapes and sizes.  The bowl is meant to be held closely with both hands.  Shallow bowls are for the spring and summer, because tea cools quicker in them.  Deeper bowls are for the winter.  Because these bowls are meant to be held close with the hands, they do not ever have handles.  They also love little imperfections.  In fact, they display the imperfections outwards for everyone to see!

Your Project:

You are going to create 2 tea bowls using the pinch pot method

1. Sketch 2 pinch pot designs: 
2.  
   • They both need texture designs.
   • 1 pinch pot's texture will be made while it is wet
   • 1 pinch pot's texture will be made while it is leather hard
   • They both need 'feet'
   • They both need even and smooth 'lips'
3. Create the 2 pinch pots and aim for the form you drew in your sketch
4. Add 'feet' to your pinch pots
5. Add texture into 1 while it is wet.  Set the other one aside to harden to leather hard.
6. Smooth out any imperfections and the lips
7. Sign your name on the bottom!