Teaware Trends and an Intimacy with Objects Article & Photography by Jennifer Sauer

Teaware Trends And An Intimacy with Objects Article & Photography By Jennifer Sauer hose of us who love tea tend also to have responding philosophies that inform the relationship a deep affection for the tools we use in between the tea master and his or her teaware. Tthe preparation, presentation, storage and When the legendary Chinese Emperor Shen sharing of tea. Just as we invite valued friends to our Nong “discovered” tea as a medicinal beverage more tea table, we also invite the special objects with which than 5000 years ago, plants were regarded as possess- we have developed an intimate relationship—our tea ing character and spirit, especially by this scholar and kettles, gaiwans, yixing teapots, cups, tongs, picks, leader, who was also known as “The Father of Herb- tea caddies, and even tea “critters” that enliven our alism”. During this era, before modern religions ab- tea trays. Some of us are also inspired to find objects stracted Nature and thus separated the spiritual from that have nothing to do with tea and repurpose them the material, all creations of Nature—stones, rivers, to have everything to do with tea. mountains, trees, flowers, plants and other crea- Throughout history, eminent tea masters have tures—were regarded as possessing spirit. It was from had something to say about the values that are meant this perspective that humans originally embraced an to be expressed by the selection or creation of their intimacy with objects, because, after all, whatever was teaware. And if we go back far enough, to the origins of the earth or sky held character, spirit, personality- of the discovery of tea, we begin to understand the and as such, was capable of relationship to and with earliest perspectives on Nature and life and the cor- other beings, including humans. When synthetic materials like plastic, polyes- objects comfort us, make us smile, and whether we ter and cellophane did not exist, all objects inevitably admit it or not, we befriend them, and, as with good arose from Nature, though sometimes mediated by friends, would miss them if they were absent. Just ask the craft and tools of humans. So for generations, the tea guy whose favorite yixing teapot has just shat- whatever objects were used to prepare, carry or tered on the ground in an accident. Sure he can buy preserve tea were composed only of natural resources another one, but he knows it will never be the same. like clay, wood, sand, stone, and metal—and were Stories abound of the respect paid to teaware therefore considered to have something of a sentient by tea lovers everywhere, from dynasties past, impe- nature, and, albeit indirectly, an unspoken capacity rial courts, lineages of tea masters and priests, and on for relationship. into the present. In some cultures, teaware is passed What many of us tea people love, whether we on upon the tea master’s death to another as a treas- articulate it as such or not, is the intimacy we have ured inheritance and almost as a kind of transmis- with the objects used in our tea rituals, ceremonies sion of lineage. Teaware has been as much a topic of and gatherings. There is something of Nature pulling discussion as tea, and more so, is said to influence us, reminding us of this age-old relationship between the quality of the tea experience. Lu Yu, who in the humans and objects that speaks of the very essence of eighth century wrote the first treatise on tea, Cha existence and of our inherent connection to a great Ching, included a meticulous etiquette for using web of life and spirit. teaware; and eight centuries later, Japan’s famed tea The ephemeral nature of a tea ceremony or master, Rikyu, expressed his endearment to the wabi even the simple sharing of tea between friends, is style of teaware with its underlying philosophy of heightened by the intimacy we have with our guests simplicity and minimalism which he so respected and as well as with the objects of the tea service. What to which he paid homage in his practice of tea. elevates the event includes not only the disposition Through the objects of teaware and the and intentions of the tea makers and guests, but also relationships held between the teaware and the tea and equally so, the character, or “nature” if you will, masters, the values and mores of the times were of the tea and the objects used to make and serve the embraced, handled and poured. As such, teaware tea. We love the way a teapot pours water, the way reflects the philosophy of the age and region in which a kettle hums at different stages of heating, the taste it is being used and appreciated. We see contrasts of tea from a particular cup, or the snug, effortless from the rough and dark glazed wabi-style tea bowls feel of a serving vessel embraced by the hand. These so prized in sixteenth century Japan as a reflection of their Zen Buddhist values, to the highly stylized and For example, she and her husband are collectors of gold-embellished porcelain teapots and teacups of art, and appreciate ancient art and artifacts. One of nineteenth and twentieth century Europe—at a time their possessions is a jade Pi disk, which is thought to and place in which grandness and opulence were have been used in ancient China as a tool of divina- more favored expressions of wealth. tion and communication with the heavens by royalty But what are the trends in teaware now? and shamans. She had the Pi disk specially mounted Recent discussions and tea gatherings in the United on a transparent round stand and now uses it as a tea States and Taiwan have led me to the discovery of tray. The historical significance of the object informs a couple of new and exciting threads being woven the intention of the tea service, which is often likened into the historical tapestry of teaware, and the trends to a spiritual practice as well as an opportunity for make sense with regard to the changing values and enhanced communication. issues of our era. These are two-fold: the desire to re- Another tea person I visited in Taiwan has turn to an intimacy with Nature through objects, and an amazing collection of centuries-old teaware from the repurposing and incorporation of non-tea objects Japan and China. Yet, he uses for his own tea tray a into the tea service or ritual. These directions keenly part of an old wooden door washed naked of lacquer evoke a reawakening awareness of our responsibility by years of exposure to the elements. While he has and relationship to nature. the means and access to use the most rarified and The most vibrant and memorable experi- expensive items in his tea service, he has voluntar- ence I had was with a woman in Taipei who teaches ily chosen to repurpose something thought to be of tea culture and the creation of tea spaces to interior no value at all for use as the literal foundation that designers, film makers, stylists and other artists, supports all the other pieces of his teaware. In addi- as well as tea people. She showed me how she has tion, he uses a rock found on the side of the road as repurposed different objects—usually antiques meant a platform to hold the lid of his yixing teapot when for other uses—and includes them in her tea service. removed. One can’t help but appreciate the kindness, humility, and endearment that are inherently evident ritual of any kind and points to both the repurposing in such acts, and these simple yet complex choices of objects as well as the appreciation of Nature as a speak of his understanding of the value of the invis- “guest” at the tea table and the feelings of intimacy it ible nature of objects that others cannot see. He really inspires. understands the intimacy with objects and the spirit These are only a few examples of the trends imbued in their individual history and character. As toward repurposing items for the tea table and an in- the Japanese phrase goes, this man “has tea”. timacy with objects that harkens back to our heritage Back in the United States, I had tea with as relations to the spirits of mountains, rivers, stones some friends who bought slices of semi-precious and plants. As we continue to recognize the need to rocks at a mineral show, and they discovered that repurpose objects and acknowledge their inherent they could use these under their yixing teapots, so value rather than include them in a landfill or leave when the water flows down over the teapot and onto them in museum vaults, we will have something sig- the rock, the slice of geology is transformed into a nificant to say with our choices. By bringing objects lustrous and luminous tableau full of color for all from nature to our tea table, we also acknowledge to appreciate. This demonstration of the abundant their beauty and value, and nod to our cousins in the beauty of Nature is the most fitting offering in a tea web of ecology to which we are inevitably connected. -The Leaf- .

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