GLOBAL EA HUT & Tao Magazine 國際茶亭 May 2018 Tianmu天目 Bowls GLOBAL EA HUT ContentsIssue 76 / May 2018 Tea & Tao Magazine Cloud祥雲寺 Temple

This month, we are excited to dive into the world of tea bowls, exploring how to choose bowls for tea and the history of ’s most Love is famous bowls, called “tianmu.” And we have a great to drink as we discuss the his- changing the world tory, production and lore of tianmu as well as some modern artists making tianmu bowls. bowl by bowl Features特稿文章

13 The Glory of Tianmu By Wang Duozhi (王多智)

25 Tianmu in 03 By Li Jian’an (栗建安) 42 Yao Bian Tianmu 13 By Lin Jinzhong (林錦鐘) 45 Shipwrecked Tianmu By Huang Hanzhang (無黃漢彰) 33 Traditions傳統文章 53

03 Tea of the Month “Cloud Temple,” Fresh Spring Green Tea Mingjian, Nantou, Taiwan 21 Cha Dao How to Hold the Bowl By Jing Ren (淨仁) Artisans p. 33 Lin Jinzhong, by Wu De (無的) p. 53 Wang Xi Rui, by Wu De (無的) 祥 © 2018 by Global Tea Hut 59 Special Offer All rights reserved. Wang Xi Rui Tianmu Bowls 雲 No part of this publication may be re- 寺 produced, stored in a retrieval system 61 TeaWayfarer or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, pho- Erin Farb, USA tocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the copyright owner. n May, TaiwanFrom really warms up and we startthe turn- cover teaware in atEditor least one issue, which we are presenting ing more to lighter like green teas, white teas in this very issue. We hope to continue to offer at least one and sheng puerh. Sometimes it seems contradic- issue a year covering a type of teaware in great depth, from tory to drink tea when the weather is hot, but its history to how it’s made, why we love it to how it is used. teas like these are actually wonderful in this weather and As more and more people worldwide are preparing bowl I tea, influenced by our tradition, we are often asked about often make you feel cool, especially if you create a chaxi how to choose bowls. Also, many potters in the West are with cool colors, some fresh water in a bowl or other finding tea and looking to start making teaware for us, in- decorations that inspire a sense of coolness. The samples cluding bowls. For a long time, we’ve wanted to write about for this year’s Light Meets Life fundraiser teas start arriv- what makes a great bowl for bowl tea ceremonies. In this ing and it is a joyous chance to start thinking about the issue, we will dive into that topic in great detail. We hope teas we want to make this year. We are working on some this helps those of you searching for bowls or the means to amazing Dian Hong, shou and sheng teas for this year. make them. We just got back from this year’s epic Annual Global Tea While we were discussing bowls, we thought we could Hut Trip. Each year it seems as if the previous year’s trip also explore the world of tianmu (天目) pottery—the most cannot possibly be topped as it was such a great time, and famous of all tea bowls in Chinese history. Someday I will then somehow, in some magic way, we do just that, having write a list of the ten “Greatest Experiences for a Tea Lov- the time of our lives. This year was no different. We made er,” but for now, trust me when I say that one of them is a lifelong memories, learned a ton about tea and had a mov- few leaves of some fine, clean and organic, freshly plucked, ing tea retreat through the tea mountains of China. Very spring, striped green tea in a tianmu bowl! Tea lovers have soon we will devote an issue to our trip, as we do every year, been using tianmu bowls to drink green tea for centuries, so that all of you can travel with us. and there really is nothing like the experience. In this issue, This month, I will be facilitating a Tea, Zen and Qigong we’ll explore the history, creation and use of these amaz- retreat in Japan. I plan to stay there afterwards and scout ing bowls, which connect tea lovers of today with the long some organic tea and do some research to lay the ground- lineage of past tea masters. We have crafted a very unique work for including some Japanese teas in future issues. This green tea for this month. If you don’t have a tianmu bowl, opportunity brings up an important point, which is that we you can drink yours in any bowl while studying what makes really hope to include more Korean and Japanese tea and tea a bowl great for tea and why tianmu bowls are unique and wisdom in future issues of Global Tea Hut. The only reason especially suited to drinking green tea leaves in a bowl… we haven’t done so thus far is due to the financial, linguistic and geographical barriers to doing so. We live in Taiwan and have much more access to Chinese articles, authors and tea makers. We are also limited in what we can reinvest in these issues. As membership has grown, we have committed a percentage of our finances to improving this experience. Wu De Obviously, as that percentage increases, so shall these enve- lopes improve. I still remember the days when Global Tea Hut was black and white, and how happy we were when we could afford a color cover. Eventually, we reached a large enough membership base to start translating more Chinese authors, increasing the scope of these issues and covering many topics in greater depth than have ever been published in English. Very soon, we’d like to start another new chapter –Further Reading– in Global Tea Hut history, translating Japanese and Korean articles and searching for clean and beautiful teas from these regions. If any of you feel you could contribute to this in This month, we recommend rereading the bowl any way, please contact us. tea guide on leaves in a bowl ceremony in the Speaking of goals, I’d also like to talk about the past February 2017 issue. Then, it may be great to read goals we’ve realized this year, as this issue is a celebration the green tea issue from May 2016. There are also of one. Last year, we hoped to offer another in the Classics some great issues and articles on bowl tea in other of Tea series (which we hope to do very soon) offer more issues, like June 2016. We will soon update our journalistic issues like March’s issue on Mengsong and to past issues to .html for easier search-ability.

2 of the

ver the course of this month, stones, forest pines, or sometimes the ing loose-leaf green tea. In the early we will explore one of the lightest fragrance of a flower caught days, green tea was steamed, as it still is 茶 oldest and most famous on the breeze, though not for long in Japan, but as new varietals evolved, Otypes of teaware: tianmu. Nowadays, enough to identify… There is a magic so did unique processing methods. To potters make tianmu vases, cups and in these light aromas, and in the up- this day, China produces almost two bowls, but traditionally this type of lifting Qi that often sweeps us up off million tons of green tea a year. Sadly, pottery is famous for tea bowls (cha- our cushions. Sometimes it is nice to the most mainstream genre of tea, with wan, 茶碗). Since the return to our roots, remembering Na- such high demand, is also the least en- (960–1279), tea lovers have treasured ture through perfect fragrance. The vironmentally friendly or sustainable, this magical type of pottery, appreciat- freshness of green tea also reminds us but there are many projects beginning ing the gorgeous glazes and the effect of the weather, though it can also be that aim to change this. If Chinese the smooth dark surface has on tea great when it is aged. Let us all cele- green tea could go organic, it would liquor, especially green tea. Tianmu brate the poetry of tea fragrances this be a great example to tea producers and green tea are married. Like Yixing- month, as we stray into old dreams of around the world! ware and , the two seem to be a bright leaves floating around a cracked Green tea is lighter than other teas star-crossed match made of pure des- bowl… because the processing is minimal. tiny. There is a short list of wonderful They say the official beginning of Plant cells have thick walls, and so tea experiences every tea lover should spring in ancient China was the day without cellular breakdown, the tea have, like visiting the birthplace of the emperor sipped the first cup of does not release as much of its essence. tea to see the old trees in Yunnan or the first flush of green tea, heralding It is impossible for tea to be processed wandering the bluffs of Wuyi drunk the arrival of the New Year. Preserving without some oxidation; it begins ox- on Cliff Tea, and, also on this list: the freshness is the key to all green tea idizing the moment it is picked. Also, drinking a striped green tea in a gor- processing. This is done by intruding the water content of fresh leaves is too geous tianmu bowl. We know that not but minimally. The two most import- high to process. If you fired or shaped all of you have a tianmu bowl, but we ant aspects of green tea production such tea, it would break, being brittle thought we could provide a gorgeous, are to reduce the withering/oxidation from the water in the leaves. During striped green tea that would suit this as much as possible and to shape the the trip from the field (or forest if it’s warm weather and help us relax into leaves in a way that suits their nature, living tea) to the processing area, the the middle of the year as we raise what- color and fragrance. tea naturally withers, losing moisture ever type of bowl we have to the art, Green tea has been the most popu- and becoming soft enough for pro- heritage and history of tianmu-ware. lar tea in China since the Song Dynas- cessing. Ideally, green tea should be Green tea is one of the purest kinds ty. In the beginning, it was made into processed quickly, on the same day as of tea, and the least processed. It is of- cakes that were formed of green tea plucking. ten a Chajin’s first love—the tea whose powder, which were then ground and Traditionally, the best green aroma carries us to the places where whisked, like . As we learned teas were made from buds only. It names like “Temple Mist” and “Jade in the April 2017 Classics of Tea issue, takes tens of thousands of buds to Peak” make perfect sense. Green teas the (1368–1644) em- make one jin (600 grams) of tea. often taste of such vistas as well, re- peror Taizu outlawed these cakes and The buds can also be processed calling clear stream water singing over people began producing and consum- with far less oxidation occurring.

3 Cloud Temple (祥雲寺)

Mingjian, Nantou, Taiwan 绿芽 Fresh Spring Green Tea 和 茶葉 Taiwanese

~500 Meters Tea of the Month

Traditionally green tea is made exclusively of buds. It takes anywhere from 20,000–50,000 buds to make one jin (500/600 grams). Our Tea of the Month is made of bud-and-leaf sets. This is done to increase yield and/or create a lower grade of green tea. How- ever, we have intentionally chosen to in- clude leaves, resulting in a bolder flavor and stronger Qi. The tea passes through different processing than all-bud green tea. Cloud Temple was processed much like a lightly oxidized (包種茶): plucked, briefly withered, de-enzymed in a pan, rolled and dried. The final result is a green tea that is si- multaneously light and sweet and bold and deep.

This retains more of the essence of the most tea lovers have adopted it into and then goes through some form of fresh leaf. They are also young and their discussions of the Leaf. Terroir heat to arrest oxidation. This could be Yang in energy, which contributes to denotes the special characteristics of steaming, baking or most commonly the magic of green tea. Over time, a a place, found in its geology, geogra- pan firing. It is then dried. If the green greater demand for green tea has led to phy, climate and even cultural heri- tea has leaves along with buds, then many kinds of green teas that are com- tage, which interact with a cultivated after firing, it is rolled/shaped before binations of buds and leaves, or even plant species to create unique expres- drying. The rolling shapes the tea. The just leaves. In many instances, such sions. Terroir is the soil and weather rolling for a green tea will always be blends or leafy green teas are inferior of a particular region, the geography significantly less than for other teas. in quality. But as green tea has gained and culture of the people and their re- All-bud green teas are not rolled, how- popularity, more regions are producing lationship to the plant; and even the ever. They are shaped in the drying. it and using many different varietals local microorganisms. Every place has The most common method of drying that weren’t traditionally used in green a unique soil composition, pH, min- green tea in China is to use a hot wok. tea production. Sometimes, depending erals and climate—all of which create Sometimes, with pan-fired green tea, on the varietal and terroir, a leaf/bud a distinctive tea. When we talk about the firing/rolling will be repeated a few blend can actually be better than just a tea’s “terroir,” we are speaking to times until the desired shape and col- buds, adding depth and Qi to a partic- the unique environment that created or is achieved. The liquor of green tea ular green tea. Our Tea of the Month it, one which couldn’t be reproduced can be clear to yellow or even vibrant is one such tea. elsewhere. Even if you took a graft- green, depending on local variations. There are many ways of process- ing of a tree and cloned it elsewhere, The Qi often enters the body through ing green tea, based on local varietals it wouldn’t be the same since the sun the aroma and/or mouth. and terroir—especially if we include would be weaker or stronger, the soil Whether or not the green tea is all- the mastery of tea production handed composition different, and so on. bud, bud-and-leaf sets or just leaves down generation to generation within Green tea is most essentially de- will also determine how it is processed, the umbrella of “terroir.” Remember, fined by a lack of oxidation. The aim as the three differ greatly. “terroir” is a French word that is gen- is to arrest oxidation as quickly as pos- The basic kinds of traditional erally used in discussions of wine, but sible, and thereby preserve the fresh- hand-processed green tea are: pan fir- it is so applicable to tea as well that ness of the tea. Green tea is picked ing, basket firing, oven baking and

5/ Cloud Temple (祥雲寺) The Processing of Cloud Temple Green Tea 祥雲寺綠茶製作工序

Plucking採摘 碗 裡 榮 萎凋 Withering 自耀

De-enzyming殺菁 然 Rolling揉捻 展 新 Drying乾燥 鮮 芽開 葉 Glory碗裡榮耀 in a Bowl

steaming. With the introduction of at its finest is an expression of simple do, because otherwise it means our modern machinery, however, many of tea leaves as they are in Nature: bitter, tea was made with pesticides, which these steps have changed. Pan firing astringent with a transforming sweet- are unhealthy for the environment, to arrest oxidation and de-enzyme the ness that lingers on the palate. And the the farmers and us tea lovers—the tea tea, for example, is often done in large, simplicity shines when a green tea is starts to oxidize, and once the leaves heated tumblers nowadays. Steaming good, like ours this month! are plucked they will also oxidize some. tea is only done in Japan, which is how Even if the pickers ran at a break-neck they arrest oxidation/de-enzyme their speed to rush each and every leaf to tea. The result is the dark green color the processing facility one by one in an of Japanese teas, as well as the bright All-Bud vs. Bud-&-Leaf absurd attempt to prevent any and all green liquor and distinct flavors such Green Tea oxidation, the leaf would still oxidize tea offers. some before it reached the heat that There is great skill in processing Usually, when discussing the pro- will eventually arrest the oxidation. green tea, since it is so simple. Some- duction of green tea, we have to start Consequently, saying that green tea is times we assume that mastery is in the by saying that green tea is processed “unoxidized” isn’t really accurate. more refined of the arts, but it is often with the goal of arresting oxidation Some authors then choose to say the simplest things that take the great- completely. As we have discussed in that green tea is defined as “un-with- est effort and skill. Great chefs don’t previous issues, oxidation is an enzy- ered,” since withering is the stage need to cook with tons of spices all matic process: basically, cellular break- where most oxidation occurs in tea the time; they can also bring out the down due, of course, to the exposure processing. Withering traditional- natural flavors of ordinary ingredients to oxygen, like when a banana or apple ly meant spreading the leaves out in unexpected ways. We once had a turns brown on the counter. While that on round bamboo trays suspended vegetarian chef stay at the center and works as a general description of green from racks so they had upward air he cooked up the carrots we eat regu- , the truth is much more flow from beneath, but nowadays larly, only they tasted somehow more complicated, like most things in tea. large-scale mass-produced tea is of- “carroty” than usual! They were deli- To start with, it is actually impossible ten withered on the ground (or even cious. And it was only carrots, oil and to prevent all oxidation in tea. If bugs the road) on large plastic tarps, which salt—nothing else! Similarly, green tea bite the tea leaves—and let’s hope they offers no airflow from underneath.

6 Tea of the Month Saying that green tea is un-withered The distinction between all-bud ways been made that way because the is a bit more accurate than saying it is and bud-and-leaf green teas also opens varietal demands that it be so. un-oxidized, but it still doesn’t com- the door to some interesting quality It is important to remember that plete even a basic, general understand- discussions with regard to green tea in in tea production, the previous step ing of green tea production. For that, general. Some people might dismiss is always more relevant to the overall we have to make another distinction bud-and-leaf green teas, thinking that quality of the tea than the next—in of our own: all-bud and bud-and-leaf they are later, market-driven innova- part because in mastered tea produc- green teas. tions to increase quantity and therefore tion, the earlier stages will determine This distinction is important be- retreat to the idea that true green tea how the later stages are done, if at all, cause all-bud green teas are un-with- is un-withered, but that would be mis- to bring out the best in the tea. Ulti- ered, while green teas made from bud leading. It is true that in many kinds mately, this means that the terroir will and leaves require some withering. of green and , a demand for always be the most influential factor Green teas that are made exclusively greater quantities of famous teas has in determining the quality of a tea. from buds can go straight from harvest resulted in the production of lower Like all plants, tea is a product of its to the heat that will arrest oxidation, grades of the same tea that include leaf environment; it is the sun, the moun- but if there are leaf sets with the buds, sets, so the best grade will still be all- tain, the fog and mist and the weath- the leaves will have to be withered to bud, in other words, while some cheap- er, so the better the environment, the reduce their moisture content. Fresh- er grades made with leaves, and often better quality the tea. And the terroir ly-plucked leaves, full of water, are of later flushes, are also sold alongside will determine the varietal most suit- brittle and would crumble if processed the traditional tea. There is a big “but” able to grow there, which is, frankly, immediately, so they have to be with- that we have to place rather emphat- always going to be the varietal that ered to withstand processing. Most of- ically next to this statement, howev- evolved naturally to suit that environ- ten, all-bud green teas are also shaped er. But not all bud-and-leaf green tea ment. (Farmers in Pinglin can grow in the firing, but bud-and-leaf green is produced just to increase quantity nice varietals, for example, teas also have some rolling to break the and/or profit margins. There are also since the environment is slightly better cells down more and also shape the tea. bud-and-leaf green teas that have al- than Muzha, but such tea will always

7/ Cloud Temple (祥雲寺) lack the “Muzha character” that makes tea production, but there are natural um-leaf varietal called “shi da (柿大).” Muzha Tieguanyin special.) The va- exceptions like our Tea of the Month, They are also quite beautiful, especially rietal will then determine the harvest which we’ll discuss in a bit. We say since they were traditionally produced time, which will determine the next “natural” because, once again, the best one leaf at a time (yes, every single stage and so on. What this means, in teas are always made in harmony with leaf). When you find some authentic the end, is that in the best of tea pro- the nature of the leaf. In other words, (there are oh-so-ma- cessing, the terroir, varietal and weath- the best of the best in tea is always ny fakes), brew it in a dark rabbit’s er/harvest time will determine how made in a way that brings out the best fur bowl and you’ll have found one the tea is best processed to bring out in the varietal of tea used, which was of the many doorways to the Heav- its best qualities. And sometimes, with in turn “chosen,” which means evolved enly realms through tea! Also, Taiping some green teas, this means that the by and through the environment it is Houkui is the absolute best green tea to tea is actually better as bud-and-leaf found within. drink in a tianmu bowl. The pinnacle sets than it is as all-bud tea. The famous green tea “Taip- of the “green tea in a tianmu bowl” ex- It is true that all-bud green teas ing Houkui (太平猴魁),” literally perience is Taiping Houkui in a bowl! tend to be higher quality, as the buds “Peaceful Monkey Chieftain” is a great In the meantime, Cloud Temple of most small-leaf varietals are sweet- example of a green tea that is better as is an amazing substitute, with a sim- er and far less astringent, having less a leaf. In fact, the leaves are left to grow ilar blend of boldness and gentleness, chlorophyll and fewer tannins. Such quite large in this unique green tea. depth and simplicity, and offers gor- teas are also more valuable as they de- Traditionally, Taiping Houkui grew in geous green freshness that can bring a mand hand-picking so that the buds valleys, which meant that the tea trees taste of spring into our lives, shining are not damaged, and it usually takes received less sunlight and therefore like the first warm rays of the season, as thousands, or even tens of thousands produce much less chlorophyll, which all things awaken. This helps align our of buds to make a single jin (600 g means the larger leaves are still quite beings with Nature. Spring is, after all, in Taiwan and 500 g in China). In sweet and lack the astringency and bit- a time of beginnings: cleaning out the general, all-bud teas are much more terness of most teas. This unique green old and ushering in the new, kicking conducive to better green and white tea is also made from a large- or medi- off the dirt to start down new roads.

Qing & Ming

n the Chinese lunar calendar, Qing Ming (清明) is an important holiday. 春 People pay a visit to their family tombs and clean them up before mak- 天清 ing prayers. It usually falls on April 5th each year, though it wavers like Ithe moon. The highest quality spring green teas are often pre-Qing Ming 的 (明前茶). The leaves that sprout just before this time are more tender and 使 sweeter, often with less bitterness and astringency. For that reason, they are valued in the market as the highest grades of green tea. The next highest 者 grade is that which is produced a couple weeks after Qing Ming, which is 明 called “pre-rains tea (雨前茶).” The buds from this flush are also often ten- der, but not as much so as pre-Qing Ming teas. With climate change, agrochemicals and other human influences, much of the meaning and premium of “Qing Ming” is lost nowadays. Even leaving aside the many fakes, different regions have very different terroirs, which means different qualities of tea. Also, what is valued by the mainstream is 綠 often based on different standards than those of the tea lover. Sometimes we value the energy (Qi) of the tea more than the flavors, especially when view- ing tea as medicine. And all of this does not take into account the changes that have started due to climatic fluctuations and agro-chemicals, especially chemical fertilizers, which change the time and manner that tea bushes flush 茶 with fresh buds.

8 Tea of the Month Simplicity簡單和茶 & Tea In this day and age, simplicity and All too often we are looking for the emptiness have become the rarest of rare, exclusive and special experience; commodities. Finding the space to be as our brother Alec Bridges sings it, we free from clutter, noise or disruption are “looking for a sign.” But then we is challenging indeed. In Chinese, the often miss out on what’s right in front word for a sage, a holy man, is “moun- of our faces—the preciousness of life tain person (xian ren 仙人)”, because itself. Our exploration of tea can be the there was a time where the only thing same: we seek out great, fine teas and one had to do in order to seek isola- forget to learn how to really savor them tion and peace was to head up into in our hearts; how to make the time the mountains. The Chinese cliffs and and space to sit down and fully drink crags were above the clouds and free of in the tea—into our hearts. Teas like the dust of the city. It was assumed that this month’s are important now and the only reason someone would retire again. They take us back to the foun- from civilization was to seek spiritual dation. Cloud Temple helps ground insight, and so anyone you encounter and center us, with a purity that even ed in the mountains would likely be poetry cannot intrude upon. Such tea holy. Also, “holy” in Daoist philoso- sessions wash clean the previous ones phy could not be other than Nature and restore our beginner’s mind. itself—sagehood by definition is a har- Sometimes we all get intense in our mony with Nature. And where better practice, and in various ways. We can to find such peace and harmony than become intense in our focus on the in the pristine mountains? ceremonial side of tea, forgetting that These days, things are different. tea is also social, that it is also a healthy We must seek the mountain within. beverage as much as it is a ceremony. Ultimately, the sages of old looked in- We forget to simplify and have a mug side too. There is an old saying that it of tea while we work or in the kitchen “is easy to be a sage in the mountain, while chatting with our moms. Other greater still in the city; but the highest times, we get too serious in the pursuit master is at peace in the palace.” Ex- of the perfect cup, collecting fancy and ternal quietude helps us to achieve in- often expensive teaware and growing ner stillness, but in the end, it is much snobby about quality in tea, teaware more beneficial to rest in a stillness that and the refinement of our gongfu is not dependent upon external cir- brewing. The cure for all of this is a cumstances—a peace that can weath- simple bowl full of the simplest leaves er the storm. Otherwise, our peace is possible: clear like water, bitter like life fragile, shattered by the first airplane and sweet like our Mother Earth who that flies overhead. nurtures us. In this way, we return to In the Daoist way, peace is about what tea really is when all the quality, stillness and simplicity. Turbid water is culture, ideas, history and folklore are still clear in nature; it is only because stripped away: heat, leaves and water it has been upset that it has become in a simple earthen vessel. muddied. To still the water we have only to leave it for some time. Our true nature is bright and serene. And it is often the simplest things that bring the most joy and lasting peace: sitting The tianmu glaze en- in meditation, quietly walking in Na- hances the green of the tea ture or drinking tea. These are also the and allows you to enjoy the gifts that bring us closer to each other. tea in all its magnificence. It In the material world, we compete and also has the uncanny ability arm ourselves. We get busy achieving to make green tea sweeter and accumulating, but in the spiritu- and smoother. The liquor al world it is necessary to let go, step seems to penetrate more, back and find the space to appreciate growing in the back of the the simple, and the simpler the better throat and with Qi that when it comes to tea. spreads through the body.

9/ Cloud Temple (祥雲寺) 10 Tea of the Month 茶 Cloud Temple祥雲寺 This month’s tea is technically more of an oolong tea than a green tea. Cloud Temple is very much like a very lightly oxidized oolong. It comes from the more biodiverse gardens of our dear friend Mr. Xie Yuanzhai (謝元在), who also has several organic plantations. (For those of you who haven’t been in the Hut long, you can read about Mr. Xie in many previous issues. He is one of our oldest friends and a real hero in the world of organic tea farming, helping to educate and encouraging dozens of other farmers to make the change for the Earth!) This tea is from larger, richer leaves. The tea is partially hand-processed, since the delicate striped leaves could not with- stand too much machine processing. As we discussed, traditional green tea was made only from buds, which were either plucked, de-enzymed and dried if they have no shaping, or shaped in the de-enzyming for some pan-fired tea. Green tea is meant to be unoxidized, capturing the fresh, Yang energy of the newly-sprouted bud in its nascent form. This results in a delicate, fragrant brew with the bright energy of Nature. Traditionally, the best green teas were also only harvested in the spring, which meant that the bud itself was the tree’s fresh shoot at the time when the world was also becoming green. The vibrancy of the Yang bud at the time when the world is Yang was considered to be a delicacy, a medicine for connecting to Nature and the seasons and itself a herald of the change in weather. Cloud Temple has to be withered, as it is made up of bud-and-leaf sets. This means that it is not really green tea in the strictest sense. These leaves are the first of spring, and therefore contain Nature’s essential awakening from the winter, as well as the tree’s first and strongest buds, but the larger leaves in the set have also matured a bit and moved more to Yin. Since the larger leaves are full of moisture, they have to be withered as they are too brittle to work with. This light oxidation means that this tea is semi-oxidized and therefore has one foot in green tea and one in oolong. It is also rolled (rou nian, 揉捻), which is not a step in traditional green tea production. The rolling breaks the cells down and brings the juices to the surface. This means that Cloud Temple will be far less delicate than an ordinary green tea, with a more robust, deeper liquor that has more breadth and a greater balance of Yin and Yang. However, on the scale of all teas in general, Cloud Temple is still very soft and delicate—even though it is a bolder green tea. There is a lot to be said for this balance. It creates a pleasant drink and is great for the body as well. Cloud Temple is a very powerful tea, but it is also very simple, especially if you brew it leaves in a bowl. Just a few leaves of this magical tea in a bowl are enough to wash the spirit clean and bring a sense of spring into your life, rising up like a breeze from under your arms. There is nothing flashy or extravagant about it. It boldly offers bitterness, sweetness and astringency, like Nature and life. There is a magic in passing the seasons with such a tea. And if you can share it on a warm morning with some people you love, perhaps outdoors, you will find that though it is the least interesting and simplest tea we will send out this year in Global Tea Hut, it may also be your favorite.

Leaves in a bowl Sidehandle

Water : spring water or best bottled For this month we rec- Fire: coals, infrared or gas ommend using dark bowls. Heat: string of pearls/crab-eye 85–90 °C If possible, use tianmu. The Brewing Methods: leaves in a bowl or dark color will highlight sidehandle (leaves in a bowl is better) the fresh green col- : a few leaves in a bowl or and make this (flash, flash and longer if sidehandle) month’s tea more Patience: five to ten steepings/pours enjoyable.

11/ Cloud Temple (祥雲寺) Brewing Tips his month’s tea is an ultimate leaves in a bowl tea. You could also brew this tea in T a sidehandle, which we have also done. Brewing it that way is also very nice, but you cannot admire the gorgeous green leaves as they open, which we feel is especially significant when it is spring time and we are drinking a fresh spring green tea. The color of the leaves is glorious. You may want to try both ways, if you have enough tea left over. A light tea like this month’s will benefit from slightly cooler water. We recommend bringing the water to the perfect temperature as opposed to bringing it to a “fish-eye” boil and then cooling it down. This is more challenging to do, but if you can, you may notice a difference, especially if you are using spring water. If you cannot make the tea this way, simply bring the water to a boil and let it cool down. If the water is too hot, it will scald the tea, change the flavor and make it less patient. Many of the more delicate fragrances cannot be coaxed out of this tea if the water is too hot. The bowl itself will make a difference in this month’s tea. If you can, use a tianmu bowl. The smoothness of the clay and the dark color change the experience of this tea to magnificent. There is an old teaching and aesthetic in tea called the “royal steed tethered to a hut.” This means having one elegant element in the chaxi, while every- thing else is simple. Cloud Temple is obviously very simple, which means it is the perfect tea for drinking in a tianmu bowl. Chajin have always savored this kind of contrast between elegance and simplicity. One of the reasons that tianmu bowls are so great for striped green tea is the dark blue-black of the bowls. This color highlights the already vibrant green of the leaves, which start out dark and open to bright and lighter greens. The dark bowl makes the green glow, shining like a spring morning. If you do not have a tianmu bowl, maybe you could find a darker bowl, even if it is a rice bowl. Obviously, this is a tea that is meant to be enjoyed as much with the eyes as with the mouth and nose, so using a dark bowl might make your session much better. (Share some pictures on the app!)

The Glory of天 Tianmu目 的 榮 耀 Tianmu-ware is ancient, beginning in the Song Dynasty (960–1279). Sometimes called “Jian-ware (建盞),” this black glaze is at the forefront of the great Asian ceramic traditions like porcelain, and others, spreading from the Middle Kingdom to Japan, Korea and beyond in the modern world. One of the magic qualities of tianmu is how unique each and every piece is, created by the magic of the . Even in ancient times, we can imagine the excitement of opening the kiln and finding a treasure worth thousands of times more than an average piece. We start our journey through the history, production and lore of tianmu-ware with a deep dive into the technicalities of this amazing glaze. It is fascinating to explore the science of this ancient method, especially as so many modern artists have devoted their lives to resurrecting this ancient style, which was lost to the world for some time. We must also remember, however, that tianmu was invented to create bowls for tea. This whole journey began because of the effect this glaze has on tea liqour, especially green tea. While the beauty is a part of this, as it is with all teaware, we shouldn’t forget to honor the Leaf it is all devoted to.

茶人: Wang Duozhi (王多智)

f we take a look at the history saturated iron in the glaze separating from their function in ordinary glazes, of ceramic glazing, oil spot tian- out. However, these initial iron spots so in theory, it shouldn’t be too diffi- I mu-ware glaze belongs to the do not manifest directly on the sur- cult to produce one of these oil spot category of black glaze, with iron as face of the glaze; rather, they cause a pieces. In the initial stages of my ex- the main colorant. Black glaze had its lot of air bubbles to form in the glaze periments, however, I ran into a great origin in the Eastern Han Dynasty, during the fusion process. The excess deal of difficulty. It wasn’t until I had a enjoyed a golden age during the Song, iron adheres to the inner walls of the better understanding of the formation and declined to the point of disappear- air bubbles. The air bubbles rise and of the oil spot markings that I was able ing after the Yuan Dynasty. From tex- then burst when they reach the surface to grasp the nature of the glaze and tual records, we can see that the peo- of the glaze, depositing the iron on the achieve success in firing. ple of the era used various names to surface. describe the unique patterns this type For a better understanding of this of glaze can display, including “oil spot phenomenon, we can take a look at (you di, 油滴),” “rabbit’s fur (tu hao, the layer of glaze visible on the edge The Role of Silica & 兔毫)” and “partridge (feather) speckle of a broken piece of ceramic. This al- Aluminum (zhe gu ban, 鷓鴣斑).” This style of lows us to observe the iron that collects glaze made its way to Japan and has con- in the air bubbles and in the small in- The raw materials that provide sili- tinued to evolve until the present day; dentations left where the air bubbles con oxide and aluminum oxide in the the Japanese call it “,” which is emerged on the surface of the glaze. glaze formula mainly include feldspar, the Japanese pronunciation of “tianmu The aforementioned information quartz and kaolin clay. The quantity of (天目)” in Chinese. can be gleaned from classic texts on silicon and aluminum has a decisive In the course of my research on ceramic glazes, from which we can effect on the character of the oil spot tianmu glaze, I noticed that a princi- analyze the raw materials used for the glaze. For example, the amount of sili- ple characteristic of this type of glaze is glaze. A basic summary of these ingre- con influences the viscosity and sinter- its extreme sensitivity; variations in all dients includes feldspar, quartz and ka- ing (fusing) temperature of the glaze. sorts of factors throughout the produc- olin clay, which provide the aluminum A higher silicon content increases the tion process will lead to different end silicate component; calcium carbonate sintering temperature of the glaze and results. This is a summary of the major (limestone) and magnesium carbonate, decreases the viscosity, which can cause factors, including the composition of which serve as fluxing agents; and iron cracking on the surface of the glaze af- the glaze, the firing process, and the oxide, which acts as the main pigment ter firing. The amount of aluminum base clay. and creates the patterns in the glaze. also affects the same two factors: a The patterns seen on oil spot or The role of these three groups of in- higher aluminum content increases the tianmu glaze are caused by the excess gredients is not significantly different sintering point and also increases the

15 穹 蒼 兮

viscosity. Since the proportions of sili- face of the glaze. The raw materials monoxide, with red iron trioxide being con and aluminum in the glaze formu- most often used as a source of calcium the more suitable choice for oil spot la influence the sintering temperature and magnesium include calcium car- tianmu glaze. and viscosity, they also have an effect bonate, magnesium carbonate, dolo- on the speed at which the air bubbles mite and talc. rise to the surface, and hence the flow The Influence of of the markings that form on the sur- Phosphoric Acid & Lead face of the glaze. The Role of Iron The three groups of elements de- scribed above form the foundation According to the traditional sys- of oil spot tianmu glaze. In addition The Role of Calcium & tem of glaze classification, oil spot to those three major groups, the texts Magnesium tianmu uses iron as the main colo- also specifically discusses the influ- rant. However, modern research has ence of lead and phosphoric acid on Calcium and magnesium act as shown that the oil spot markings can the oil spot patterns. Phosphoric acid fluxing agents. Fluxes are substances, also be formed when cobalt or man- and lead also act as fluxing agents in usually oxides, used in ceramic bodies ganese are used as pigments. If iron the glaze. In early times, phosphoric to lower the melting point of the glass alone is used as a colorant, the glaze acid generally came in the form of cal- constituents. The main components can have many different color mani- cium phosphate from the ash of ani- of the glaze that are affected are alu- festations due to the chemical activity mal bones. The phosphoric acid from minum silicates, which contain sili- specific to the iron itself; these include the bone ash combined with the iron con oxide and aluminum oxide. These yellow, grayish-brown, dark brown, to form iron phosphate. The ancient both have high melting points and so greenish-blue, and black. Since iron is “iron red” style of glaze resulted from do not fuse easily within the glaze. The one of the most common elements in this process. According to current re- addition of calcium and magnesium is the earth’s crust, after aluminum, and search, phosphoric acid or lead in oil necessary for these elements to fuse, is easily extracted, it has been widely spot glaze can promote liquid phase and for all the components of the glaze used in glazes from ancient times until separation, aiding the formation of the to be bound together. Although calci- today. Black glazes generally require an oil spot patterns. However, it’s import- um and magnesium aid the fusion of iron content of more than 5%, while ant not to add too much, as this will the glaze, the degree of fusion must be to achieve oil spot-type markings, the result in over-fusion of the glaze and controlled; otherwise, the desired oil iron content must be between 8–12%. hinder the smooth formation of oil spot markings will be unable to form The usual choices for raw material are spots, which is the glory that tianmu or will not remain visible on the sur- red-colored iron trioxide or black iron artists seek.

16 Tianmu-Ware The Firing Process

The important factors in the firing The thermometer measures the tem- ished piece. That is the glory and natu- process include the firing temperature perature point, while pyrometric cones ral beauty of tianmu. (peak temperature), rate of heating, or rings give a temperature reference temperature retention, and the manip- point by comparing them against the ulation of the atmosphere inside the reference table provided by the manu- kiln (oxidizing or reducing). facturer. It’s worth noting that the data Heating Rate provided by the manufacturer includes varying heating rates, so the reference In the early days of my oil spot temperature read using pyrometric glaze experiments, I tested two dif- Firing Temperature cones will be different depending on ferent heating rates, measured using the rate of heating. pyrotechnic cones and the associat- One of the most common ques- This can be understood in terms ed reference tables: a heating rate of tions that people ask about ceramics of temperature and heat content. The 100 °C per hour, and a rate of 20 °C is, “How do you know when a piece is temperature point is simply a tempera- per hour. Observing the glaze on the sufficiently fired?” Those who often fire ture reading that can be taken by the resulting pieces, I noticed that black ceramics likely know from experience thermocouple. The reading from py- tianmu glaze produces a lot of air bub- that firing a piece to the same peak rometric cones or rings, on the other bles during high-temperature fusion. temperature but over differing lengths hand, takes into account the tempo- By breaking some of the fired pieces, I of time can produce very different re- ral aspect of the heating process. The was able to closely observe a cross-sec- sults. Most kilns are equipped with a longer the cone or ring is heated, the tion of the glaze, revealing the bubbles thermocouple (temperature indicating greater the total amount of heat it that had reached the surface and those stick), which is linked to the thermom- absorbs, which influences the way it contained deeper in the glaze, as well eter in the controller; pyrometric cones changes. In this way, it is similar to the as the un-fused iron collected in the or rings (designed to melt at a specific ceramic pieces in the kiln: differenc- bubbles. From this, I concluded that a temperature range) may also be used es in the overall amount of heat they lower rate of heating produces a better to gauge the temperature after firing. absorb produce differences in the fin- result. So, my advice to those starting

17/ The Glory of Tianmu 燒窯實務 out in their research is that once the the glaze dripping down and sticking mosphere. However, using firewood or kiln has heated to 1000 °C and some to the bottom. With a rapid rate of gas to adjust the kiln temperature will of the elements in the glaze have begun heating, on the other hand, holding consume the oxygen inside the kiln, to fuse, it’s best to select a heating rate the peak temperature produced much and on top of that, the lack of oxygen of no more than 20 °C per hour for better results. may lead to incomplete combustion of this type of glaze, then adjust as you the fuel, producing carbon monoxide see fit after observing the results. gas. The type of chemical reaction this produces in the base and glaze is called Internal Atmosphere reduction, hence this is generally called of the Kiln a reducing atmosphere. Holding the Temperature According to the concentration of The internal atmosphere of the kiln the carbon monoxide gas, reduction This involves maintaining a stable usually refers to the levels of oxygen atmospheres can be classified as light, internal temperature in the kiln for a and carbon monoxide inside the kiln moderate or heavy. This can be judged period of time, when it reaches peak throughout the firing process. When based on the appearance of the flames: temperature or another designated the kiln has sufficient oxygen, it’s said if full combustion is underway and the temperature. During the course of to have an oxidizing (or oxidation) at- flames are bluish in color, it’s a light re- my experiments I tried maintaining mosphere; when there’s a shortage of duction atmosphere. If combustion is the peak temperature for increasing oxygen, this is called a reducing (or re- slightly incomplete and the flames ap- 30-minute increments, then observing duction) atmosphere. In electric kilns, pear yellow or produce white smoke, the differences in the resulting glaze. for example, raising and lowering the this indicates a moderate reduction After several tests I noticed that when temperature does not consume any of atmosphere. When oxygen is severely combined with a slower rate of heat- the oxygen inside the kiln, allowing the deficient, the fuel will not burn and ing, maintaining the temperature did glaze and base material ample oppor- the flames will be reddish and accom- not produce great results; maintain- tunity to react with the oxygen in the panied by black smoke; this indicates a ing it for too long often resulted in air; hence, it’s called an oxidizing at- heavy reduction atmosphere.

18 Tianmu-Ware Because black-glazed tianmu-ware tend to blister, become misshapen or catch the eye and make really great tea fell out of favor and was not produced even collapse. Generally speaking, por- as well. The glaze and clay work in har- for a long time, there is a lack of tex- celain clay can withstand higher tem- mony to make a piece that draws the tual records regarding the firing meth- peratures than pottery clay. When I viewer in. od, and scholars disagree on whether was beginning my research, I conduct- an oxidizing or reducing atmosphere is ed an experiment comparing commer- preferable. My initial thoughts on the cially available earthenware with No. Granularity topic were that since ancient kilns were 26 Japanese porcelain clay to observe Since the patterns in the glaze are all fueled with firewood, and burning the change in the glaze at different the primary aesthetic consideration wood consumes the oxygen inside the temperatures as well as the influence for oil spot tianmu, the base generally kiln, it would be unlikely for the pieces that the base clay and the glaze have needs to have as smooth a surface as inside the kiln to be exposed to a com- on each other. As a result, I noticed possible so that when the spots form pletely oxidizing atmosphere during that since the range of firing tempera- they can spread out in a regular pat- firing; however, if the kiln cooled rela- tures for oil spot tianmu is quite wide, tern, or even form lovely streaks as the tively slowly after the fire was put out, the glaze displays different changes at glaze drips downwards. Commercially this could indeed create an oxidizing different temperatures; however, at available grog (chamotte) clay con- atmosphere. the high-temperature point when the tains coarse grog particles and is gen- From my experiments, I discov- spots crystallize, the temperature range erally considered unsuitable as a base ered that an overly heavy reduction becomes narrower. for oil spot tianmu pieces. However, I can cause the oil spot patterns to fuse So, if your temperature range is once tried using grog clay as a base and together or change color, so if your fo- between 1200 °C and 1260 °C, using then sanding it after bisque firing to cus is on achieving three-dimensional ordinary potter’s clay should be suffi- smooth away the rough particles from oil spot patterns with a raised texture, cient, and if it is above 1280 °C, then the surface. Although this resulted in a it’s better to choose a lighter reduc- you should perhaps consider using few minor indentations, it didn’t affect tion. However, if your emphasis is on porcelain clay, or a blend of porcelain the expression of the oil spot patterns the color changes in the glaze, you can and pottery clay. in the glaze at all; however, it did take choose a method that involves stages rather more time and effort. of heavy reduction. For a lot of my current pieces, I use a method that in- volves heating in several intervals; for Iron Content each interval I use different oxidation Conclusion or reduction techniques to get the best In researching black-glazed tianmu, results from each piece. it’s common to use ancient Jian-ware The above discussion of various as- bowls as a point of reference, and their pects of firing oil spot tianmu glazed high iron content is often used as a ceramics is offered based on my per- standard. When the base clay is defi- sonal experience and research; there Base Clay cient in iron, it’s common to try in- are a great many other facets that are creasing the iron oxide in the clay to impossible to explore at length in these We generally make a distinction be- boost the iron content. I myself exper- pages. For example, what is the influ- tween earthenware and porcelain clay; imented with commercially available ence of trace elements found in ancient however, there are also other types pottery clay and porcelain clay, adding examples of oil spot , such as of clay with various functions, such different concentrations of iron oxide manganese, chromium and titanium? as grog (also known as firesand and before glazing and firing. I noticed that Also, at what kiln temperature is re- chamotte) and a specific type of clay the iron content can easily interfere duction best conducted, and for how that is used for making oil spot tianmu with the firing of the glaze. long? Should the degree of reduction glaze. Generally speaking, in order to Breaking a finished piece after glaz- be altered throughout the process? Ad- research oil spot glazes, the basic fac- ing and firing will reveal some layering: ditionally, many authors on the sub- tors for consideration are the degree of a layer of base clay, a layer of glaze, and ject fire their pieces a second time; are fire resistance, the iron content, and in between them, another layer where the required conditions the same for the granularity (particle size). the glaze and clay have blended togeth- twice-fired pieces? What effect does a er. So, in practice, the iron content of second firing have on the oil spot pat- the base will also influence the changes terns? How many times can one fire Fire Resistance in the glaze at high temperatures. The a piece? Is it possible to perform sev- results of my experiments indicate that eral repeat firings in only one heating When selecting the fire resistance if the base has a high iron content, curve? These are all complex questions of the base clay, it’s important to con- you can reduce the iron content in the and worthy of discussion; we shall just sider the firing temperature required glaze. These days, I tend to adapt the have to leave them for another day… for your chosen glaze. When using clay composition of the base clay to best with a relatively low fire resistance, if suit each individual glaze formulas, the firing temperature is higher than in search of the best possible results, the piece can withstand, the piece will creating gorgeous tianmu bowls that

19/ The Glory of Tianmu 20 茶Cha Dao Series 道 How to Hold The Bowl 如何持碗 茶人: Jing Ren (淨仁)

et’s put the kettle on the stove like they ladled water from the moun- have respect for this plant as medicine and sit down for some tea… tain streams with their bare hands? for the soul, the coming together of Today, I’d love to share with This evolution from hand to bowl isn’t this ceremony and the people we share Lyou some leaves of Cloud Temple, hard to imagine, and it forms the basis this moment with, then healing can placing them into a bowl, adding hot of how we craft bowls for our tea cer- take place. When you hold the bowl water and watching them unfold as we emonies, as well as the proper way to properly and you sit up straight, with take sips and discuss holding the bowl. hold the bowl in our lineage. all your intention and focus on the Hopefully you’ll be just as inspired by So much went into the creation of tea, you show this respect. The more the deep lessons hidden in this practice this bowl of tea. Thousands of years you approach the tea with this kind of as the many guests that visit the Center of heritage in the processing of these respect, the more She will tell you the every year. We have a lot to talk about, leaves and making of this bowl, count- tales She has to tell. More importantly, but first, let us share a bowl or three in less generations of Chajin in order to respect is at the core of all relationships silence… refine the brewing methods that we and communication. The more we re- Imagine your ancestor wandering use today—all of this had to come to- spect Tea and the process of brewing, through the woods in a time so long gether in order to make this bowl of the more we listen and learn. This then ago that we could not even call it his- tea. This already is quite magical, but teaches us to respect our lives and lis- tory: the sound of twigs breaking un- this doesn’t yet include the sun, the ten to our bodies, to Nature and to all derneath bare feet, the whispering of mountains, the rain, the rivers and ev- our experience. the leaves as the winds blow through erything else that went into forming the trees and the sound of flowing wa- these leaves. Mother Nature, her rivers, ter approaching as she continues to mountains, forests and valleys are part Balance: Using Two Hands walk. Arriving at a clear stream com- of our tradition and lineage just as well A large part of how we show our ing straight from the mountains, she as all the generations of Chajin that respect for tea is by using two hands kneels down, shapes her hand into a came before us. As I hold this bowl of to hold the bowl. When we drink tea scoop and ladles the water to take a Cloud Temple, I feel like giving thanks with one hand it is very easy to get dis- drink, quenching the thirst of a long by honoring this bowl of tea that arose tracted. It is easy to move one’s atten- hike. from both Nature and tradition, and tion away from the tea—even slowly Now imagine the first ceramics, using it with the greatest care, atten- migrating the arms away from the cen- wooden tools or other objects that our tion and respect I can muster. ter as the attention moves in a different ancestors ever used to drink water out direction. of, other than their hands. What shape It is true that not every tea session would they form such vessels into? And Function & Experience has to be so focused on the tea. Some- how would they hold them? Wouldn’t times occasions may arise where the those very first water vessels have been Respect is at the core of how tea tea is more in the background, and form-shaped to the cupped hands? ceremony becomes transformative. It Her role is to facilitate communication And wouldn’t they have held the bowl is one of the Four Virtues of Tea. If we with each other rather than through

21 ceremony and silence. In other words, gers together. If you look at the inside straight will force us to slurp the tea up we use tea to connect to each other. of your hand, you will see that there is strongly, which distorts the tea liquor. Tea is also social. But in those times a natural indentation where the fingers When we tilt the bowl, slurping ever when we want tea to be the focal point meet the hand. For most people, this is so gently and only to control the tem- of the session, it helps greatly to use where the base of the bowl most com- perature in our mouths, we don’t dis- two hands. fortably rests. It is better not to curl up turb the tea and we leave the structure Our hands are one of the most sen- the fingers around the bowl, instead of the liquor intact. The tea will move sitive parts of our bodies, so whatever using the thumb on the rim to hold into our bodies much more smooth- they are doing influences where our it in place. ly. This is something that is easier to mind’s focus is. Holding the bowl with One of the most common mistakes experience once you take the last few two hands naturally guides our minds is to loosen some of the tension of the sips. Pay attention to the movement of towards the bowl and helps us to get foundation hand. Keeping the foun- both hands. Try to feel the momentum our whole bodies involved. In doing dation hand straight when raising the of the tea when you tilt it. Does the this, we make this bowl of tea the cen- bowl requires a tiny bit of tension. It movement stop where the bowl meets ter of our universe. There are no dis- is the kind of tension we need in or- our lips? Or does it continue further tractions, everything is centered right der to maintain a proper meditation on, influencing the way the tea inte- in front of us and all of our attention is posture as well. If we are in a comfort- grates into the subtler parts of our bod- focused on the bowl. able, slouching posture, we start to get ies and minds as well? This applies not only to tea; it ap- sleepy and our minds start to wander. plies to everything. Wu De often gives Holding the foundation hand straight, the example of shaking someone’s hand and with a slight, straight tension facil- Picking Up and Setting Down with two hands instead of one. We all itates a mind that is present onto the Holding the bowl like this is very know the difference when someone tea. useful for picking it up, setting it down shakes our hands with attention and and passing it on to someone else. respect rather than out of formality Many people, especially those in the and necessity. This kind of handshake Strong Hand: The Guide West, often begin their practice pick- involves two hands, the right amount The strong hand is the guide. It curls ing up the bowl with both hands on of tension and the whole body to par- over the side of the bowl like a crab’s both sides of the bowl while cupping ticipate, all the way up to the eyes. claw, holding the rim between the out- it symmetrically. The problem with stretched thumb and index finger. The holding the bowl like this is that the rest of the fingers are gently together, surfaces where our hands are touching Off-Hand: The Foundation just as with the foundation hand. The become very hot. Another problem The off-hand is the base, the foun- strong hand guides the movement of is that it becomes very difficult to set dation. This hand holds the bowl and the bowl, tilting it gently towards your the bowl down comfortably and safe- is the basis on which it stands. We hold mouth and bringing the liquor to you. ly. When you set the bowl down like the foundation hand flat and the fin- Not tilting the bowl and keeping it this, the hands will be in the way.

22 Cha Dao This method demands hand acrobatics ly not the moment to let go of it! You this problem: if you hold the bowl near in order to place the bowl down safely. have to wait, touch, sense and feel until your heart, and bring it from heart to When picking up and setting down the bowl “tells” you it’s balanced fully mouth, you will find that the elbows the bowl, the fingers of the foundation on the surface of the table or ground. and shoulders find their place naturally hand function like a gentle slope or All of us (including me) have broken and comfortably. This doesn’t involve ramp. The guide hand then comes up something in our lives because we let only the elbows! When we hold the over the bowl, lifts it up and guides the go of it too early after setting it down. bowl near our hearts, our whole pos- bowl onto its base of the foundation When we set down the bowl carefully ture naturally becomes upright. And, hand. When setting the bowl down, with two hands, the bowl is respected as we often mention, being upright is the bowl gradually moves back out and protected for many generations to where meditation begins. towards the fingers of the foundation come—just like the past generations of hand until they touch the side of the Chajin respected the treasured antique bowl near the rim. In this way, both bowls we use today! Stay with the Tea hands maintain contact with the bowl Staying with the tea is one of the throughout the process of setting it Five Basics of Tea Brewing; this is down. Oftentimes, we neglect to use From Heart to Mouth equally true for drinking tea as well. two hands when picking up or setting When holding the bowl, you might Try to practice not setting the bowl down bowls, missing the opportunity wonder what to do with the elbows. If down until you are finished. Stay with to foster mindfulness and respect. the elbows are too scrunched, it’s un- the tea, watch the leaves open, notice We encourage you to pay very comfortable, and likewise if they are its aroma and the warmth coming close attention to the process of set- too outstretched, movement is awk- from the bowl, which is a kind of com- ting down the bowl. The moment that ward. Fortunately, we have a beautiful, munication in itself. We can listen to something touches a surface is actual- practical and poetic gesture that solves Tea with our hands.

The Foundation The Guide

Using Two Hands Learning to work in harmony with our teaware and listening to how it “wants” to be used increases our sen- sitivity to the world around us. We learn that there is a smoother way to use things and become more like water, finding the smoothest road to the sea. We learn to adapt to obstacles through our listening skills. We also cultivate reverence, even for ordinary objects and activities, which teaches us to ap- preciate our lives more, be more pres- ent, grateful and fully embodied in our experience. We honor Tea, ourselves, Nature and others in this practice.

23/ How to Hold the Bowl When we hold the bowl properly, The Path Continues we can hold the bowl for a long time without it becoming too hot. Howev- We hope you will experiment with We are learning non-verbal com- er, if you do find the bowl too hot at holding the bowl in different ways, munication through our practice, some point, just use you guide hand paying close attention to the influ- which teaches us how to understand to pull it out onto the finger ends of ence this has on your experience. As our own bodies and minds. We learn the foundation hand. If it is still too you continue to practice holding the that the evolution of a functional tool hot, you can go to the tips of your bowl with awareness and respect, you like a tea bowl is worth understanding, fingers. And as a last resort, you can will discover deep and profound ways as the way it is used and held deter- start to “dance,” as Wu De often jokes: in which this influences your tea prac- mines how it is created—a process that twinkling the fingertips on and off the tice. And you can start to experience is then refined over time. If the maker bowl. The more you drink tea, the less in what ways this practice of holding is producing the bowl to be held in a you have to do this. Try to have the the bowl influences your life in areas different way than the brewer intends bowl resting where the fingers meet other than drinking tea. You may find or doesn’t fully understand how it is the hand whenever possible, as hold- that you become more balanced in used herself, the bowl will never func- ing the bowl quietly in the center of the movements between left and right tion well. This is wisdom that can be the hand will definitely enhance your hands, Yin and Yang, for example; or applied to all the tools we use in our experience. you may find yourself more centered lives and teach us to listen more—lis- Through this practice, we learn as you go about your day. Let us know ten with our whole beings! that the bowl does have a way that it what you experience as you try this “wants” to be held. It “speaks” to us of method out. There is so much to dis- how to use it, and learning that lan- cover in this bowl of tea—it truly con- guage can change our lives. tains the whole Universe!

From Heart to Mouth Picking Up and Setting Down

Stay with the Tea

24 Tianmu Kilns 福建天目窯in Fujian This article is a deep plunge into the history of tianmu. We trans- lated this from one of the leading books in the field. The entire book is only about the “Jian (建)” kilns, which is another name for tianmu (or you could think of tianmu as a kind of black- glazed Jian-ware), of which there were thousands. We have only included a survey of the kilns in northern Fujian, leaving the south for a future issue. The history of tianmu is fascinating and the article shows how vast and important tianmu is.

茶人: Li Jian’an (栗建安)

he province of Fujian is situ- seas. During the Song (960–1279) and ceramics industry in Fujian during the ated on the south eastern coast Yuan (1271–1368) dynasties, we can Song and Yuan dynasties. The rapid T of China. The terrain is largely observe from factors such as the surge development of black-glazed ceramics made up of hills and low- to medi- in activity at the port of also contributed to the custom of “tea um-altitude mountains, and the sub- that the opening of the Maritime Silk contests (dou cha, 鬥茶),” popular in tropical monsoon climate means that Road and the expansion of overseas the society of that era. This style of tea most of Fujian enjoys warm tempera- trade stimulated a major boom in Fuji- consumption had already existed in the tures and plentiful rainfall. The whole an’s ceramics industry. and began to flourish province is covered with chains of during the Song. Experts in the art of mountains, lush forests and babbling tea contests were particularly fond of streams that flow between the moun- black-glazed tea bowls from the tianmu tains. It is also abundant in the natural The Development of kilns in Fujian, as can be seen in this resource of kaolin clay. All these natu- Fujian’s Ceramics excerpt from Tao Gu’s Qingyi Records ral conditions combine to make Fujian (荈茗錄): “In Fujian province, they an ideal environment for building From the Northern and Southern make tea bowls with partridge speckle kilns and firing ceramics. Dynasties through to the Song and patterns, which are prized by tea con- Because of this, ceramics have Yuan, the production of green-glazed tent experts.” These black-glazed bowls been produced in Fujian for a long porcelain (also known as celadon or were highly esteemed by the imperial time: current knowledge places the greenware) continued to steadily grow court and high-ranking scholars and earliest production at the time of the and improve. By the time of the Five officials. During this era, thetianmu Northern and Southern Dynasties Dynasties (907–960), black-glazed ce- kilns were already producing black- (220–589). Remains of kilns dating ramics began to appear in Fujian. In glazed tea bowls with enchanting to the Northern and Southern Dy- 1992, excavators at the tianmu kiln patterns such as “rabbit’s fur (tu hao, nasties have been found at Huai’an site at Mount Anwei discovered the 兔毫),” “oil spot (you di, 油滴),” “par- in and at Cizao in Jinjiang. remains of a kiln used to fire black- tridge (feather) speckle (zhe gu ban, A large amount of green-glazed cel- glazed tea bowls (field excavation num- 鷓鴣斑),” and “magnificent change adon has been unearthed from tombs ber 92SJY8). Directly underneath this (yao bian, 曜變),” which represented dating to the Western and Eastern Jin kiln was an older one, used to make the pinnacle of accomplishment in Dynasties (265–420), some of which celadon in the Five Dynasties era (field black-glazed ceramics. Under the pow- was probably produced locally. Addi- excavation number 92SJY10). The erful influence of both societal trends tionally, Fujian’s long, winding coast- newer kiln was built by adding modi- and the success of the tianmu kilns, lines and the many rivers that weave fications directly onto the existing Y10 other kilns all over Fujian scrambled to their way across the province provid- kiln, which indicates that the two were begin producing black-glazed ceramic ed the locals with ample opportunity not far apart in terms of age. ware, all vying to imitate the famed for transporting goods by boat, and Black-glazed ceramics, and the rabbit’s fur tea bowls. In no time, this for overseas maritime trade. From the green-white qingbai-ware (青白瓷器) resulted in a wide-reaching region that Tang Dynasty (618–907) onwards, that would appear later, went on to produced black-glazed ceramics, with the ceramics industry in Fujian grad- surpass their predecessors, and togeth- many large-scale kilns. The bowls and ually began to flourish, with a steady er with the earlier celadon they formed other wares made there were used flow of porcelain being shipped over- three legs of a tripod that sustained the throughout the empire and beyond.

26 Tianmu-Ware The Minbei (Northern Fujian) Region

This region is located to the south outside of the cup tend to be quite foot ring with a flat bottom and a bev- of the Wuyi mountain range, sur- smooth with several layers of glaze, eled edge. There is a fairly deep hollow rounding the upper reaches of the while on the lower half the natural sur- on the underside of the foot, with vis- Minjiang River’s three major tributar- face of the ceramic base is exposed. This ible tool marks. The diameter is 15 cm ies: the Tianmu River, the Futun River, part displays visible markings from the at the mouth and 4.7 cm at the foot, and the Sha River. Aside from the orig- potter’s tools, suggesting that they were and the height is 6.8 cm. inal tianmu kilns in Jianyang County’s somewhat roughly made. The base ce- Shuiji Village, this area is home to a ramic is grayish-white in color, with a 3. “Inverted-mouth” (lian kou, 斂口) number of other known kiln sites, list- fine texture that resembles that of green These bowls have a pointed lip and ed below (this includes kiln sites that and green-white porcelain. On the turn slightly inwards at the rim, with produced brown-glazed ceramics, but glazed half of the bowls, the glaze is a slanted sides and an indented center. also made tea bowls imitating the tian- grayish-brown color, applied in quite They have a short foot ring with a mu kiln style). thin layers. The light gray color of slanting surface on the bottom, high- There are three main regions for the base shows through the thinnest er on the outside than the inside. The tianmu kilns: the Fujian Region, the patches of the glaze. The edge of the base of the foot is straight and even, Southern Fujian Region (Minnan, glazed part is uneven, with no obvious with a shallow hollow on the under- 閩南) and the Northern Fujian Re- pooling of the glaze. The tea bowls are side. This shape of bowl tends to be a gion (Minbei, 閩北). The following 10–11 centimeters in diameter at the bit smaller, with a diameter of 9.2 cm is a brief introduction to some of the mouth, about 5.2 cm tall, and around at the mouth and 3.7 cm at the base, more important kiln sites from the 4–4.5 cm in diameter at the foot. and a height of 3.8 cm. Northern Fujian Region, as well as the The black-glazed tea bowls at black-glazed tea bowls excavated from the Banlu kiln are made from a the respective sites. Banlu Kiln, Pucheng County grayish-white, relatively fine ceramic. The top half of the bowls are glazed This kiln site is situated in Banlu both inside and out with a brown- Dakou Kiln, Pucheng County Village, also in Shuibeijie Township ish-black glaze and the bottom half area, Pucheng County. It was discov- exposes the base. The glaze is applied The kiln site is located at Huang- ered in 1954 and has been surveyed quite thickly, but a tawny dark brown bi Village in the Shuibeijie Township several times. It mostly produces gre- color shows through in the thinner area, Pucheng County. It was discov- enware, as well as some black-glazed areas around the mouth. The edge of ered in 1958 and has been surveyed and qingbai-ware. The black-glazed the glaze is uneven, with some signs of several times over the years. The re- ceramics produced here were mainly pooling and dripping. The unglazed mains of a measuring 36 bowls, which came in three shapes: part of the outer surface shows that meters long by 2 meters wide were the bowls are quite neatly made, with discovered at the site. The Dakou kiln 1. “Indented-mouth” (shu kou, 束口) some showing traces of the potter’s mainly produced qingbai porcelain, These tea bowls are straight- wheel. The shape of the foot rings is along with some celadon and brown- mouthed with a pointed lip and a also uniform. glazed ware (jiang you ci, 醬釉瓷). slight indentation along the mouth. The kiln sites at Dakou and Banlu The brown-glazed tea bowls seen at Beneath the inside edge of the mouth have not undergone formal archaeo- this site are of the “indented-mouth” is a shallow groove; the sides are slanted logical excavation. Because of this, we variety, with a fairly thick or blunt lip and the center is indented. They have don’t have a clear idea of the relation- that slants slightly outwards. On the a round foot ring with a flat underside. ship between black-glazed, green-glaze inside surface, there is a shallow groove The edge is beveled and the base of the and green-white qingbai glaze ceram- running around below the lip; the sides foot is straight and even. Near the foot ics in terms of soil strata—unlike the of the bowl are slanted, and the center ring, there is an inclined surface that black-glazed and qingbai pieces found is flat. They have a short circular foot slants inward toward the sides of the at the Yingzhangqian tianmu kiln site, ring at the base, which is flat on the bowl, about 0.4 cm in width. The di- for example, which show clear strati- bottom; the edges are beveled, and the ameter is 9.6 cm at the mouth and 3.8 fication. In the 1992 excavation of base of the foot ring is neat and even. cm at the foot, with a height of 5.2 cm. that site, the remnants of a qingbai The hollow on the underside of the kiln (field excavation number 92SJY6) foot is deeper on some bowls and shal- 2. Slanted-mouth (pie kou, 撇口) were found in a layer directly on top lower on others; the deeper ones have a “Slanted-mouth” bowls curve of a black-glazed kiln (field excavation knob-like protrusion on the underside slightly outward at the top of the number 92SJY7), crushing the older of the base with obvious cut marks, mouth; they have a rounded body and kiln. The Dakou kiln mainly produced while the shallow ones are simply flat are flat at the center, with a slight up- qingbai porcelain, the typical style be- on the bottom. The upper parts of the ward bulge. They have a small, short ing bowls with indented flower pat-

27/ Tianmu Kilns in Fujian 閩北地區 terns and unglazed rims, made using bowls from the Banlu kiln come from the cup; the edge of the glaze is uneven a double-firing technique. This style a slightly earlier period than those and displays some pooling and drip- probably came from the late Southern from the Dakou kiln, falling some ping. The glaze has a luster to it, and Song through to the Yuan Dynasty. time during the Southern Song. the color ranges from greenish-black to Although the brown-black glazed in- brownish-black and dark brown. The dented-mouth bowls made at this kiln area of thinner glaze along the rim is imitated the black-glazed tea bowls Oulin Ting Kiln, Wuyishan City usually dark brown. Some of the pieces from the tianmu kilns, they still have display faint streaks or irregular speck- some clear differences, and appear to The Oulin Ting kiln site is situated les of brown on the glaze. be from a slightly later period than on the northern side of Xing Village, in Of the tea bowl specimens discov- the tianmu-ware bowls. Therefore, the Wuyishan City area. It was discov- ered, the exposed part of the ceramic the brown-glazed tea bowls from the ered in 1958 and has been surveyed a (the lower half of the outside surface, Dakou kiln likely also date to the late number of times. The Oulin Ting kilns including the foot) are all basically Southern Song and the Yuan Dynasty. mainly produced black-glazed ceram- the same in terms of shape and craft- The Banlu kiln also produced ics, as well as some celadon. The black- ing method. Between the lower part qingbai-ware, probably up until the glazed pieces recovered from the site of the body and the base of the foot Yuan Dynasty. However, the three include bowls and dishes with a gray ring, they all have a slanting surface shapes of black-glazed tea bowls pro- or light gray base, somewhat coarse in that inclines inward toward the sides duced here closely resemble those texture yet evenly formed. The areas of the bowl, with a width of 0.9–1.3 unearthed at a number of different where the base is exposed appear quite cm. The foot ring is generally short, tianmu kiln sites, and the glazing style rough, but the bottom of the bowls with a slanting surface on the bottom: was also the same. The Banlu kiln also and the foot rings are all very neat and higher on the outside and lower in the produced greenware, including bowls uniform in shape. The foot rings are middle. The foot ring is hollowed out with finely engraved patterns, a style short, and the base and center of the at an angle on the underside, with the that was also popular in Fujian during foot are very neat, made with precise center being flat and shallow, or dis- the Southern Song Dynasty. From this, and careful technique. The glaze on the playing a slight protrusion with visible we can infer that the black-glazed tea outside does not reach the bottom of marks where the bowl was cut away.

These are cross-sections of some of the many different styles of bowls made throughout the northern region of Fujian. The diagrams show all the types of bowls discussed in the article: 1 is an “indented-mouth (shu kou, 束口), 2 is “slanted-mouth (pie kou, 撇口),” 3 is an “inverted-mouth (lian kou, 斂口), 4 is an “alms bowl (bo xing, 鉢形)” shape and 5 is an “open- mouthed (chang kou, 敞口)” bowl. The un-numbered are less obvious examples of these five shapes. The drawings also show the thickness of the clay and glaze, which is often very thick in the case of tianmu bowls from the Song Dynasty (960–1279).

2 3 1

3 2 1 1

2 3 4 4

5 5

28 Tianmu-Ware

Left is a map of Fujian Province in the modern day, with the Taiwan Straight running off the side. There were more than 1,000 tianmu kilns back in the dynastic days in Fuji- an! The shards above were excavated from several different kilns dating from the Song Dynasty (960–1279) to the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368). Many of the kilns were active into the last Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), still producing tianmu-ware until that time.

There are four different shapes of bowl: three aforementioned tianmu kilns obvious traces of joining on the outside indented-mouth (shu kou), slant- date from the mid- to late Northern of the bowl where the upper and low- ed-mouth (pie kou), inverted-mouth Song Dynasty until the late Southern er parts meet. On the outside surface, (lian kou)and “alms bowl-shaped” (bo Song, after which they were supersed- the glaze is not applied right to the xing, 鉢形) bowls. The latter, which ed by the production of qingbai-ware. bottom; the edge is uneven. Although we haven’t discussed, have an in- No qingbai-ware has been found there is some visible running on the ward-turning lip and an outward curve at the Oulin Ting kiln site; it dates surface of the glaze, there is very little to the body, with a short foot ring. The to the same era as the black-glazed pooling or dripping along the edge. exposed parts of the base are quite fine tianmu-ware kilns, namely around the The colors of glaze include brown- and smooth. The diameter is 11.6 cm Northern Song to late Southern Song ish-black, blue-green, reddish-brown at the mouth and 4.6 cm at the base, dynasties. and white-lipped or light-lipped (a with a height of 5.8 cm. style sometimes called “white-covered The Oulin Ting kiln site has yet ring”). Some of the tea bowls display to undergo archaeological excavation. Maodian Kiln, Guangze County greenish-gray spots on the glaze from From the black-glazed tea bowl speci- kiln transmutation, while some have mens gathered here, we can make the This kiln site is situated to the faint rabbit’s fur streaks. There are three following analysis: the bowls found at west of Maodian Village in Huaqiao shapes of tea bowl: indented-mouth the Oulin Ting site fall into three main Township, Guangze County. It was (shu kou), inverted-mouth (lian kou) shape categories: indented-mouth, discovered in 1955 and underwent an and alms-bowl shaped (bo xing). slanted-mouth and inverted-mouth. archaeological excavation in 1956. The There are some differences between This is consistent with the shapes of Maodian kiln mainly produced qing- the black-glazed tea bowls from the black-glazed tea bowls found at the bai-ware, as well as some celadon and Maodian kiln and their equivalent Luhua Ping, Dalu Houmen and Ying- black-glazed bowls. from the tianmu kilns. The style is not zhangqian tianmu kilns. The Oulin The base of the black-glazed bowls quite the same, and this type of white Ting kiln bowls have quite uniform is white or grayish-white with a fine, or green-white rimmed bowl, whether foot rings, the glaze is relatively thick, dense texture, the same as that used the color is achieved by extra glazing with pooling and dripping along the for the qingbai-ware and celadon or by removing the glaze, has not been edge. The color of the glaze is gener- produced at this kiln site. The black- found at any of the tianmu kilns. Most ally greenish-black or brownish-black. glazed bowls are uniform in style, with of the qingbai-ware produced at the These characteristics are also similar to neat craftsmanship displayed on the Maodian kiln site is glazed in the raw- the products of the tianmu kilns. The exposed parts of the base. There are no lipped mang kou style, with engraved

29/ Tianmu Kilns in Fujian flower patterns; this style dates to the colors include black, brownish-black, displayed traces of various tools: some mid–late Southern Song (1127–1279) brown and greenish-back. The areas of them are disorganized wheel mark- at the earliest, and possibly to the Yuan of thinner glaze around the mouth are ings, while some of them are clearly Dynasty. So, the black-glazed tea bowls generally brown in color, and some knife marks. The foot rings are most- from the Maodian kilns date to the of the tea bowls have quite clear rab- ly flat on the bottom and beveled on same time period: the late Southern bit’s fur markings. Most of the bowls the edge, with a neatly formed base. Song through to the Yuan Dynasty. display pooling and dripping along The hollow on the underside of the the edge of the glaze. The tea bowls foot varies in depth, with the deeper come in the following shapes: indent- ones displaying a protruding bump Sidu Kiln, Shaowu City ed-mouth (shu kou), inverted-mouth in the center with visible cut marks. (lian kou) and open-mouth (chang There is a slanted surface around 0.8 Also called the “Blue Cloud (Qing kou, 敞口). Open-mouth bowls have cm wide near the foot, sloping in to- Yun, 青雲)” kiln, this site is located a pointed lip while others have a blunt ward the sides. The glaze on the out- near Sidu Village in Shuibei Town- lip. They are open-mouth with slanted side doesn’t reach the bottom and is a ship, Shaowu City. Several archaeo- sides and a concave center. The shape brown or reddish-brown in the thinner logical excavations have been carried resembles that of “bamboo rain hat areas near the mouth. Along the bot- out here, showing that this kiln site bowls.” They are 9.8–13 cm in diam- tom border it is thicker and displays a produced mostly white, qingbai and eter at the mouth and 3.3–4 cm at the brownish-black or greenish-back color, brown-glazed ceramics, with both tea foot. They are 4.1–4.9 cm tall. with some pooling and dripping. Some bowls and other bowls being found The Baimaqian kiln site is located of the specimens have brown rabbit’s among the specimens. The body is about 55 kilometers west of the tian- fur streaks below the mouth, but the grayish-white with a relatively fine mu kilns, and the tea bowls produced lines are not very well defined. There texture, and the pieces are quite uni- here were similar to the ones made at are also some “white-covered ring” tea form in shape. The bowls and tea cups the tianmu kilns in terms of shape, bowls with white glaze along the lip. have glaze applied to half of the out- material, glaze color and type. Some All the tea bowl specimens gathered er surface; the glaze is fairly thin with of the indented-mouth tea bowl spec- at this site were of the indented-mouth uneven edges and no pooling. The imens from Baimaqian are even hard shu kou variety, some with fairly ver- glaze colors include brownish-black to distinguish from the tianmu kiln tical lips and some that curve slight- and grayish-brown. The exposed base tea bowls or tianmu zhan. From this, ly outward. They all have a crease or shows obvious traces of tool work, we can see that the tianmu kilns had a shallow groove beneath the mouth. and the foot rings are mostly beveled. direct and strong influence on the Bai- They have angled sides and a slightly The tea bowls appear in two shapes, maqian kiln site. However, among the concave center. Their diameter ranges indented-mouth and inverted-mouth. open-mouth bowl specimens discov- from 9.2–11.2 cm at the mouth, and The regular bowls also appear in two ered at Baimaqian, there appear some from 3.7–4.9 cm at the foot. They are different shapes, inverted-mouth and examples glazed in the “white-covered between 4.5–5.7 cm tall. These bowls open-mouth. ring” (bai fu lun, 白覆輪) style with are more open than some tianmu greenish rims, a style that has not been bowls found at other sites in Fujian, seen at the tianmu kilns. So, they prob- with more room for whisking. Baimaqian Kiln, Jianyang County ably date to a slightly later period than The Yushan kiln site lies around 20 the black-glazed ceramics from the km to the south of the tianmu kilns. The Baimaqian kiln site lies to the tianmu kilns. Due to its proximity, the black-glazed east of Dabai Village, Masha Town- tea bowls produced here were natural- ship, Jianyang County. Discovered ly influenced by those from the tian- in 1982, it has been surveyed several Yushan Kiln, Jianzhen City mu kilns. This kiln site has not yet times. The piles of ceramics found at been formally excavated, so there is no the site contained mostly greenware, The kiln site is located at Yushan clear stratification recorded between as well as some black-glazed pottery. Village in Xiaosong Township, Jian- the back-glazed and qingbai ceramics. Among the black-glazed vessels were zhen City. It was discovered in 1981 However, this site has fewer varieties of tea bowls, jars, , lamps and and has undergone archaeological in- black-glazed tea bowl than the tianmu dishes, with tea bowls being the most vestigation. This kiln mainly produced kilns and has some examples of white- numerous. qingbai porcelain, as well as some rimmed tea cups, which tells us that the The body of the tea bowls is gray- black-glazed pieces. The ceramic base black-glazed ware at Yushan was likely ish-black or dark gray, with a coarse for the black-glazed pieces is gray- produced slightly after the golden age yet dense texture and a heavy, solid white or pure white, with a fine, dense of the tianmu kilns. We can estimate, feel. The exposed parts of the base are texture. The main type of vessel made then, that the Yushan site was from a quite rough. However, the foot rings here was tea bowls, which were very somewhat later era, probably dating are quite uniform in shape, with an in- neat and regular; they prided them- to the late Southern Song through to ward-slanting surface 1.0–1.5 cm wide selves on their pottery skills. the Yuan Dynasty. There will need to near where the body meets the foot. The upper part of the outside of the be more research and proper dating of Most of the bowls are glazed starting bowls was quite smooth and usually samples in the future to determine the from above this slanted ring. The glaze covered in glaze, while the bottom half dates more accurately.

30 Tianmu-Ware Jihui (or Xietun) Kilns, Chayang Kilns, City ed-mouth (pie kou) tea cups found Shunchang County here; the inverted-mouth tea bowls This kiln site is located behind that have been discovered also have This kiln site is located near Xietun Chayang Village in Taiping township, fairly shallow bodies and wide mouths. Village in Jihui Township, Shunchang Nanping City. It has undergone several There are also examples of mang kou County. The site encompasses two lo- archaeological excavations since its dis- and “white-covered ring” style white- cales, Liankeng and Xietun. The ce- covery in 1982. The piles of ceramics rimmed vessels. The era of this site is ramics found here include celadon, at the kiln site turned out to contain likely somewhat later than that of the white porcelain and black-glazed ce- qingbai-ware, celadon, black-glazed black-glazed tianmu kiln ware; these ramics. The black-glazed wares are the ware and green-glazed porcelain (dis- pieces are emulating the products of least common and include tea bowls tinct from the light green-colored gre- the tianmu kilns. This puts the era of and dishes. They are made with a enware or celadon). There was also a the Chayang site at around the late grayish-white base, fairly fine in tex- pile of blue-and-white porcelain, indi- Southern Song to the Yuan Dynasty. ture and uniform in shape. The glaze cating that the Chayang kiln site has on the outside doesn’t go all the way to a long, continuous history of produc- the bottom, and the border is uneven, ing ceramics; even today there is still Shangyao Kiln, Jiangle County with pooling visible on some pieces. a porcelain factory in the vicinity of The glaze varies in color from brown to the kiln site. The black-glazed ceramics The Shangyao kiln site can be brownish-black, with some pieces dis- discovered at Chayang are made from found at Shangyao Village, Nankou playing brown rabbit’s fur markings. a gray or grayish-white base, with a Township, in Jiangle County. It was All the tea bowls are of the indent- fine, dense texture. However, some of discovered during an archaeological ed-mouth shu kou shape, with a round- the gray-colored pieces have a quite excavation in 1988. Samples collect- ed or square-edged lip, slanted sides coarse, loose base. The body of the ed here include qingbai-ware, celadon and an inward-inclining surface on cups is made with quite a narrow in- and brown-glazed ceramics, with the the outside near the foot. The center ward-slanted plane near the foot, only qingbai-ware appearing in larger quan- of the bowl is flat or slightly convex, about 0.4 cm wide. The foot rings are tities, and fewer brown-glazed pieces. and they have a short foot ring that is short and not particularly uniform; the The brown-glazed implements are all slanted on the bottom. Some of them underside of the foot is slanted, high tea bowls. They are made from a white are hollowed out on the underside of on the outside and low on the inside. or grayish-white clay with a fine, dense the foot. The diameter at the mouth is The hollows on the underside of the texture. The tea bowls are all quite uni- 10.4 cm, while at the foot it is 4.4 cm. foot ring are fairly shallow, with some formly shaped. The bowls stand 4.7 cm high. of them just barely indented. The glaze All the bowls are of the indent- Some have a deeper hollow on the on the outside stops before the bottom ed-mouth variety, with a deep inden- underside of the foot, with a protru- and has an uneven border. There is vis- tation or crease around the mouth. sion in the center bearing cut marks. ible pooling, but very little dripping. They have slanted sides and a concave The diameter is 11.7 cm at the mouth The glaze colors include black, brown- center. The foot ring is a flat disk shape and 4.2 cm at the foot, and the height ish black and brown, with the thinner with a neatly-formed base, featuring a is 6.1 cm. Others have the glaze re- areas of glaze along the mouth showing slightly concave underside with a small moved along the mouth in the mang a brown color. There are also some tea protruding bump in the center. kou style, with a thicker layer of glaze bowls in the “white-covered ring” style, There are also some “white-covered in the center of the bowl and on the with white glaze applied by hand along ring” tea cups. They have reasonably lower part of the outside surface. The the mouth. A small number of mang deep hollows on the underside of the glaze has rabbit’s fur streaks, with some kou style black-glazed dishes were also foot ring, with a slight outward swell. pooling and running at the edges. The discovered here, with the glaze scraped In terms of crafting technique, the diameter is 11.4 cm at the mouth and off along the rim to reveal the white top and bottom parts of the outside 4.2 cm at the bottom. The height is 5.1 clay beneath. The types of tea bowl surfaces exhibit some differences: the cm (affected by damage). included: indented-mouth (shu kou), bottom parts have some obvious knife Similar mang kou tea bowls show inverted-mouth (lian kou) and large markings that have not been covered pooling at the edges below the white open-mouthed (chang kou) bowl with with glaze. The glaze is brownish-black rim, and the center and outer sides all a squared lip, an open mouth, slanted in color, with a light brown color or have thin glazing. This was likely the sides and a shallow arch-shaped bot- the gray-white of the glaze showing result of a second firing. The diameter tom. through in the thinner areas around is 11.4 cm at the top and 4.8 cm at the The Chayang kiln site is also yet to the mouth. The edges of the glaze dis- bottom, and the height is 4.9 cm. undergo formal archaeological exca- play some pooling. The “white-covered From analyzing the specimens dis- vation. From the samples already col- ring” style tea bowls all have white covered at the Jihui kiln site, some lected at the site, we can observe that glaze applied around the rim; on some scholars have estimated that this the indented-mouth tea bowls from of the cups, one can see the white glaze site was likely in operation from the the Chayang site lack the heaviness of layer showing through along the edg- mid-Southern Song Dynasty to the their equivalent from the tianmu kilns, es that haven’t been covered by the early Yuan, which makes it a long- and their body is slightly more open brown-black glaze. The white and lasting kiln. in shape. There haven’t been any slant- brown highlight each other nicely.

31/ Tianmu Kilns in Fujian From this, we can infer that their such as mang kou style exposed-rim mang kou style, with glaze scraped off manufacturing technique involved bowls with inset flower patterns, at the rim. The foot rings have flat bot- first applying a layer of white glaze to which come from a slightly later era. toms or a slightly indented underside, the rim of the tea cup, then applying So, the brown-glazed tea bowls from and the center of the bowls is indented. the brown glaze afterwards. Because the Shangyao kiln site are estimated to A small number of the bowls have an the brown (or black) glaze melts and be from the late Southern Song to the inward-slanted surface at the bottom runs downwards at high temperatures Yuan Dynasty. of the body. The mouth shapes include during firing, it reveals the white glaze indented-mouth, straight-mouth and underneath, creating the “white-cov- inverted-mouth. ered ring” style. The tea bowls from Zhongcun Kiln, Sanming City Aside from brown-glazed ware, the Shangyao kiln have a mouth diam- the most abundant product of the eter of 10.6–10.8 cm, a foot diameter This kiln site is situated on Mount Zhongcun kiln site was qingbai-ware. of 3.8–4.8 cm and a height of 5.1–5.2 Shezhong, at Zhongcun Xiangyao The qingbai bowls, plates and other cm. Village, Sanming City. The brown- vessels have a thick, solid body, with a There are noticeable differences glazed ceramic specimens gathered at deep hollow beneath the foot; they are between the brown-glazed tea bowls the investigation of the site in 1994 loosely crafted and are typical of Yuan of Shangyao kiln and their equivalent were all tea bowls. They are made from Dynasty style. During the excavation from the tianmu kilns; plus, this kiln a grayish-white base, with a relative- in September of 1993, the surveyors also made “white-covered ring” bowls. ly fine texture and uniform shapes. uncovered the foundations of a drag- There isn’t too much imitation of the The glaze was generally only applied on kiln as well as a ceramic workshop tianmu kiln style among the pieces about halfway down the outside sur- area. Initial estimates traced these relics produced here, and the shapes are not face, exposing the base on the lower to the Yuan Dynasty. So, the Zhong- very uniform, indicating that black- half and the foot. The glaze is thin cun kiln site most likely dates from the glazed ceramics were probably already and brown or brownish-black in col- Southern Song to the Yuan Dynasty. in decline by the time these ones were or. The exposed parts display notice- made. At the same time, the kiln able circular marks from the crafting was producing a lot of qingbai-ware, tools. The tea bowls are glazed in the

Black-glazed tianmu from the Song Dynasty (960–1279), excavated from the Oulin Ting kiln.

32 Tianmu Artisans 天目藝術家 L林ing 錦Jin 鐘 Zhong Along with our exploration of tianmu history, the challenging production of the magnificent piec- es of teaware and how we use them in tea, we wanted to make it personal. A large part of what we feel makes coverage holistic is when you move from the general to the specific and include the people and examples of their work, whether discussing tea or teaware. For us, this brings the discussion down to earth and actualizes it, which is how we ourselves like to learn. In this issue, we introduce two tianmu potters, a young and passionate artist full of verve and devotion, Wang Xi Rui (王希瑞), who is covered starting on p. 53, and a more experienced master, Ling Jinzhong (林錦鐘) covered here. Oftentimes, it is all too easy to get lost in abstract philosophy and general- ities—covering a tea-growing region and the cultures there without introducing the individuals, discussing environmental philosophy without introducing the farmers whose lives are touched or talking about ceramics without exploring the lives of the artists. But this is Global Tea Hut, the exception to the rule!

茶人: Wu De (無的)

in Jinzhong (林錦鐘) is one of bowl brewing and why we also love it potters of the time were often in a sim- the most unique and brilliant so much. ilar position, knowing how to create artists we have ever met. The Master Lin was born in the Year their art but unable to teach it or ex- Lfirst time we went to interview him, we of the Rooster, 1957, in Zhang Hua, plain the science behind the processes. felt like students at one of the universi- Taiwan. As a child, he was very inter- There was only one university teaching ties he lectures at. Within a week of his ested in whittling, and after the then- ceramics at all, which was coinciden- classes being announced, they are full mandatory two to three years’ service tally in Miaoli where our Center is lo- with waiting lists. We understand why. in the Taiwanese army, he studied cated. “I had a friend who graduated His research into glazes and wood-fir- wood-carving. He pointed to his beau- from that program, so I was enthusias- ing is unprecedented and his experience tiful studio and simple house in a quiet tic to learn from him. Even though he priceless. After several hours of conver- grove in Puli, Taiwan and proudly told passed through the program, he wasn’t sation, we left understanding tianmu us that he used wood-carving tools to able to explain even basic things to me, bowls, wood-firing and ceramic art build it. He also showed us a statue of like how to make and fire a clear glaze, much better than when we’d arrived, a Buddhist sage he carved back in the which is arguably the simplest of glaz- and all of us a bit awed by spending 1980s. Not surprisingly, it was gor- es. I ended up borrowing all his text- time with such genius. His profound geous—well-carved, innovative and in books and studying them myself.” knowledge, incredible skill, integrity harmony with the lines and curves of The next two decades were ones of and devotion to art for its own sake the wood. Around that time, he also learning, starving for art and slowly and his gorgeous artworks are each, on became interested in ceramics and be- abandoning wood-carving as his pas- their own, enough to inspire admira- gan making pottery: teaware, dishes, sion for ceramics grew. In particular, tion, while the combination of all of plates, vases and sculptures. Master Lin was drawn to the research, these aspects of Master Lin together Master Lin told us that when he exploration and understanding of glaz- is overwhelming. His art tells his life started this journey, it was difficult to es on all levels, theoretical and prac- story, but it is a whole series of long learn about ceramics, “even practical tical. We find that this is a common books that this article can only sculpt things like kiln temperatures or glaze thread in the stories of potters who a crude model of. Fortunately, there compositions.” He said that most pot- ended up exploring tianmu. He began are other articles about Master Lin ters would keep their techniques se- dabbling in tianmu in the 1990s as and a documentary set to have a global cret, unwilling to take on students who part of his glaze research and quickly release in the coming year. might copy their style. He also men- fell in love with the complexity and When we arrived to interview Mas- tioned to us something we find com- challenge of tianmu-ware. ter Lin, he pulled out some gorgeous mon in tea production as well, which The 1999 earthquake changed his tianmu bowls, tossed some wild red tea is that great masters who produce ex- life, like so many Taiwanese. The earth- into them and showered the tea with quisite artisanal oolong teas do not quake measured 7.7, and its epicenter steaming water. He said that he has understand even the basic science of was Nantou County, where Master been brewing tea leaves in a bowl for what is happening to the leaves. They Lin lives. The disaster completely thirty years, and that it’s the only way are farmers, after all, and not educat- destroyed his home, which he said he drinks tea. We had a laugh together, ed. They know tea through the senses, was a very harrowing experience and sharing our experience with leaves in a not the intellect. Master Lin said that one that completely changed his life.

34 Teaware Artisans

At that time, his home was elsewhere this job, as his expertise in designing Master Lin has built fourteen and his studio was in the place it is to- and constructing kilns was essentially wood-fired kilns, all with different de- day. After the earthquake, he built his the same. He began contracting Mas- signs, though he abandoned seven of current home on the studio land. He ter Lin to build fireplaces on his proj- them and currently has seven active said that the experience shook him to ect. Master Lin worked out just how kilns, with an eighth on the way. He his core. “It made me understand how much work he would need to do in a also has an electric and a gas kiln, but short and precious life is and forced me year to afford spending the rest of his he says he hasn’t used them in more to ask the big questions, like what was time in research, essentially “working than a decade. He throws bowls for important to me in this life. What do for time” as he puts it. one month straight and then spends I really want to achieve?” He said that It is important to note that through- the following six months firing. He his whole worldview was shifted, and out this entire period, Master Lin was fires three kilns twice a week, more that the inspiration and motivation of creating gorgeous works of art that col- than twenty a month, hundreds a year that time have not left him. lectors and tea lovers were more than and in the thousands so far in his life! It was at that point that he real- willing to buy, all of which he refused Each of these kilns is filled with test ized that making money was not why to sell. He knew that as soon as he be- pieces, cones, glazes and unending re- he got into art and not important in gan that process, all his time would be search. There were thousands of small life. He saw that many artists stop spent making pieces for friends, ac- test pieces on shelves in his studio and researching, growing and improving quaintances and other collectors, hold- when we opened his largest kiln, which commensurate to their success. Once ing exhibits, promoting and dealing is enormous, to look inside, there were they begin making some money, all with the financial aspect of selling his still bowls on all the various shelves. He their time and energy will have to be work, etc. “I’d rather make fireplaces said, “I leave them there so that when spent making financially fruitful art- and spend the rest of the time research- I use the kiln next I will have a rough work, leaving little time for research, ing and improving my skill.” exploration, classes and other kinds In 2005, the hard work and devo- of self-improvement. He wanted to tion Master Lin had put into his re- take the opposite approach, focusing search began to pay off, as more people exclusively on research and develop- took notice of his brilliance, incredible ment of his understanding of the craft. work ethic and the potential impor- “Other people work for money. I work tance of his research to change Taiwan- for time!” He exclaimed, wagging his ese art and history. Through the same finger at us, “For time is far more pre- architect friend who got him contracts cious.” He meant the time to explore building fireplaces, Master Lin was in- and grow, evolving the craft forward. troduced to three wealthy businessmen He said that this not only improves who loved his art. In that year, they himself and his understanding, but, if decided that they would like to sup- passed on, elevates the craft itself, es- port his research, fully funding him so pecially in Taiwan. Master Lin knew that he could devote all his time to his that even focusing on glazes was not art. They believed in him and viewed enough, for the field was too vast and the contribution as a charity that was one lifetime not enough. It was in meaningful to them, as they believed 1999 that he decided to devote himself in supporting the arts and especially completely to tianmu pottery, and to the advancement of Taiwanese art. To the exploration of the ever-elusive yao this day, these wealthy donors have of- bian (曜變) bowls in particular. fered Master Lin an unlimited budget After building his new house, Mas- to conduct his research! He is in one of ter Lin threw himself into his research. the most unique positions of any artist He took out a 100,000 USD mortgage throughout history: he has unlimited on his land and used the money to funds without selling a single piece of build wood-fire kilns and begin doing his work! research. After three years of working Master Lin has not betrayed the seven days a week, testing, firing, re- trust of his donors, whom he says have cording, studying and writing, Master never taken a single piece of his art or Lin’s money ran out. An old friend put any conditions on the money he who had watched the process and un- receives. They let him do what he will. derstood the importance of Master He still lives simply and has not invest- Lin’s work decided to help. His friend ed in personal property, travel or any is an architect and saw that many of other leisure. We suspect that his work the guest houses that were popping up ethic helped inspire the philanthropy. all over Nantou were asking for nice He works seven days a week on his fireplaces in their building designs. He research into glazes, wood-firing and knew his friend would be able to do tianmu-ware in particular.

35/ Tianmu Artisans: Lin Jinzhong (林錦鐘) idea of what effect the various loca- his greatest passion Yao Bian Tianmu which kind of wood, its composition, tions in the kiln create.” Master Lin is (曜變天目), which covers his lifelong its shape and which side of the kiln as meticulous as he is genius. He has a exploration of yao bian bowls (we’ll you throw it in and from what angle at command of chemistry strong enough discuss this later on). He has a fourth what period in the firing—all of these to teach it and records every glaze and book that will be released this year, create very different and unique effects firing. He designs his kilns in unique which is a Q & A based on his work on one’s pieces in the kiln!” ways to measure and explore heat and with students. He applies his almost For the last three years, Master Lin fire, keeping detailed drawings of every four decades of experience firing more has been teaching a class at a ceram- kiln—how it is loaded and fired and than 1,000 kilns to answer practical ics college in Taipei. As we mentioned, the results. questions potters encounter. He is also his classes fill up as soon as they are Early on, Master Lin made a deci- working on a fifth book all about how announced. The university has com- sion to share his research with other to toss wood into a wood-fired kiln. mented that no one in Taiwan could artists in Taiwan. He has written three “There is enough in that for a book?” teach the class the he teaches, let alone very thick and detailed textbooks: Ce- we asked. “Yes, a very thick one!” he do it as well! Though the donors who ramic Glazes (釉藥系統), which ex- exclaimed. “That is the most import- support Master Lin have put no condi- plores all the traditional and modern ant part of wood firing. If you really tions on him, he does feel a responsibil- Chinese glazing techniques, including want to test the level and understand- ity to pass his research and experience recipes and detailed instructions for ing of a ceramicist who uses a wood- on to the next generation and improve use and firing; Kilns for Ceramics (陶藝 fire kiln, ask them why and when they the field of ceramics in Taiwan and 窯爐學), which explores all the differ- add wood. If they say ‘to increase the quite possibly the whole world of ce- ent kinds of kilns in the world in great temperature,’ they still have a lot of ramic art. Master Lin’s genius is chang- detail, including how to use them; and progress to make… Understanding ing the lives of ceramicists.

Master Lin Jinzhong has one of the strongest work ethics we have ever encountered. His brilliance and devotion to his craft have earned him a unique situation among artists: he can work without promoting or selling his work. He throws for a month and then fires for six months. Making tianmu pieces is very hard work, and very few artists are doing so in wood-fired kilns. Mas- ter Lin showed us bags upon bags of broken pieces where the glaze had run down onto the kiln shelf. He showed us other piec- es that he had learned from. We even drank tea from those.

36 Teaware Artisans

One of three yao bian pieces found from the Song Dynasty (960–1279). Yao Bian Tianmu (曜變天目)

In order to understand the evo- These masters were very skilled at load- bowls by simple people throughout lution of Master Lin Jinzhong’s art, ing these kilns, knowing the effects of the empire. Many of the bowls at the we have to explore yao bian tianmu. different areas of the kiln, which types edges of the kiln would end up under- Called “yohen” in Japanese, yao bian of pieces to put where, how to load the firing and go through a second, small- literally means “magnificent change.” wood and, of course, how to toss pieces er firing to finish them. This would In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), of wood in. But the magic of ceramics cause the famous “rabbit’s fur (tu hao, tianmu craft was in its heyday, with lies, in part, in the uncertainty of every 兔毫)” patterns. These bowls were kilns all over China firing a tremen- firing, creating unique and sometimes 1,000 kuai. The more gorgeous oil spot dous amount of tianmu-ware—mostly glorious accidents. you di, 油滴) bowls with gorgeous, bowls for whisked tea. Tea lovers of the Each long kiln could be loaded cosmic patterns were reserved for time preferred tianmu, as the dark col- with up to 100,000 bowls, and there wealthy collectors and sold for 3,000 or accents the whisked green tea and were many such kilns in Fujian Prov- kuai. Very rarely, when the magic was has an effect on the smoothness, sweet- ince alone! There are some records of just right, the kiln master would open ness and aesthetic enjoyment of tea the kinds of bowls in the average fir- the kiln to find the greatest treasure in drinking. In those days, potters didn’t ing and even how much they would tianmu: yao bian, which sold for 5,000 fire their own work. It was fired by cost at the time. Almost all the bowls kuai. Yao bian bowls remind you of the kiln masters with generations of expe- would be simple, black and not beau- stars at night, reflecting Heaven back rience. They used long, winding kilns tiful. These “wu zhan (烏盞)” bowls to the tea lover just beneath their tea, that went up a hill, which are called sold for 1 kuai (Chinese currency) and mirroring the cosmos in the micro, the “dragon kilns” because of their shape. were used as tea bowls or even rice Dao in our daily lives.

37/ Tianmu Artisans: Lin Jinzhong (林錦鐘) Master Lin’s attempt to make yao bian are getting closer.

Until now, only three yao bian piec- purist. He argues that the bowl this ent clay, glaze, firing, composition and es from the Song Dynasty have been man made is not a true yao bian for aesthetic. “What this artist achieved is discovered. The potters and kiln mas- three important reasons: first, the artist a fine tribute to yao bian, rather than a ters of the time didn’t understand sci- used an electric kiln, while Song Dy- true yao bian piece,” he says. Looking ence in the way we do, and just saw the nasty kilns were obviously wood-fired, at the pictures of the original and the creation of yao bian bowls as a divine creating very different results; second, modern piece, you can indeed tell the gift—good joss! They had no way of the artist used a kind of crystal glaze difference. knowing what caused these rare piec- that was not used by tianmu potters, Throughout Master Lin’s quest es. And to this day, no one has cracked creating a similar effect, but not the to unlock yao bian tianmu, which we the yao bian code and figured out what same (the spots are more uniform and couldn’t help comparing to the medie- creates these gorgeous pieces, though are also convex—Master Lin showed val grail quests, he has explored many every tianmu maker is pursuing this us some of his own crystal glaze ex- roads and created several entirely new goal. Master Lin has devoted his life to periments and you can definitely feel glazes and firing techniques, each of the pursuit of this, which he will share the crystals when you rub the piece, which could have made him a famous if he discovers it. whereas tianmu is smooth); and finally, artist in on their own. First, he perfect- Around five years ago, a famous Master Lin argues that the entire theo- ed the other styles of tianmu-ware to Japanese tianmu master created a ry behind the Japanese artist’s work is such a degree that collectors were beg- bowl that he claims is yao bian and completely different than the original ging him to purchase his bowls, which several books and magazines have her- yao bian pieces, which from start to are absolute stunning. He would alded it as such, but Master Lin is a finish were approached with a differ- have no problem selling his bowls.

38 Teaware Artisans

Eventually, he realized that the glori- technique could have easily made him how the pieces break and why, which ous halo and glow of the spots in yao famous throughout Asia had he started he says improves his understanding bian bowls had to do with metals, so selling, exhibiting and promoting it, of the glazes and their reactions, the he literally found a local blacksmith but then he wouldn’t be Master Lin. different shapes of kilns, the nature of who was retiring and purchased his en- He abandoned Northern Lights work fire and much more. This, he feels, will tire foundry—all his tools, materials, in 2015, viewing it as a stepping stone be another piece in the puzzle needed furnaces, and so on—and taught him- in his research. to understand how yao bian bowls oc- self blacksmithing. He showed us all Since then he has been creating curred. Wood-fired kilns are very diffi- the tools he created, including knives, works he calls “Yao Su (窯塑),” or cult to control, but Master Lin thinks axes, etc., many of which were as beau- “Kiln Sculpture.” These are sculptures that by designing and redesigning the tiful as they were useful. He spent years and vases he says capture the move- kiln, experimenting with air and heat exploring metallurgy and the changes ment of clay on the wheel. Master Lin flow, he can get a better understanding in the metal when exposed to differ- has practiced martial arts his whole of what is happening inside and cre- ent kinds of fire and heat. Eventually, life—first gongfu and now tai chi. ate conditions that will be much more he was able to recreate yao bian spots He says all his work is meant to cap- conducive to producing yao bian spots. in metal, proving his theory that the ture natural fluidity and beauty. The spots were caused by specific types of true purpose of these pieces, however, metal and heat. When he applied this is of course to research the nature of A Shining Brilliance discovery to tianmu firing, it created wood-firing. The basic premise ofYao the works he calls “Northern Lights Su is that he starts with a vase and then Master Lin’s amazing mind com- (Ji Guang, 極光), which offer glori- draws a design for how he would like to bined with a creativity that burns as ous swirling patterns of rainbow glory. warp and “break” it. He then starts fir- bright as his largest wood-fire kiln are This type of pottery reminds you of the ing the piece over and over again, test- truly inspiring. His situation is unique wind, fire, patterns in wood and other ing to see how well he can control the in all the history of art and is creating natural beauty. His Northern Lights firing and get the piece into the shape results equal to the uniqueness of his pieces are incredibly gorgeous and the he wants. This allows him to analyze lifestyle. He still has not sold a sin- gle piece, despite continuous offers. His devotion to art for its own sake is inspiring, indeed. In the end, we of course talked about using his bowls for tea and he shared stories of simpler times in Taiwan, when he was young, and tea was shared freely between family, friends and neighbors. We feel honored to have the time to learn from such a great man and to include his life and work in these pages. There is great power to know that there are still such unconditional pa- trons of the arts, and that like in the days of da Vinci, genius is still being supported in a way that fosters unbri- dled creativity. When you combine that with Master Lin’s amazing atten- tion to detail and profound intellect, you can’t help but feel that he will in- deed advance ceramic arts in Taiwan. His pieces do radiate the aesthetic of what the Chinese call “Li (理),” which is the natural movement of the wind, a flame, the lines in wood or stone, etc. We look at them and feel the move- ment of the earth and cosmos. If any- one is to make a yao bian piece in the way of the ancient, it is indeed this man. We hope that he reaches his goals and that the world knows how to make yao bian pieces. Let us all raise a bowl of Cloud Temple this month to Master Lin and his lofty aims! May we all use yao bian bowls one day!

39/ Tianmu Artisans: Lin Jinzhong (林錦鐘) Northern Lights (Ji Guang, 極光)

Kiln Sculpture (Yao Su, 窯塑)

40 Yao Bian 曜變天目 Tianmu Since Master Lin is such a prolific author, we thought we would share with you a section of his “Yao Bian Tianmu (曜變天目)” book. His own words are wiser and more eloquent than ours, offering a different perspective from within the jour- ney, as opposed to a report based on an interview. This also allows us all a glimpse into the genius of his mind, which left us in awe. We chose a section from this book, even though he’s written three, as yao bian tianmu is his passion.

茶人: Lin Jinzhong (林錦鐘)

o-called “magnificent change” or layer of “kiln sweat,” formed by the ash Black glazes were developed from “transmuted glaze” tianmu-ware and the kiln wall fusing together. From the original Han Dynasty (206 BCE– S tea bowls originated in the this, the earliest examples of black-col- 220 CE) glazing techniques, and were a Southern Song Dynasty and were pro- ored glaze gradually developed. Black product of dark-colored clay and wood duced in the kilns near Jianyang City glaze has around 2000 years of histo- ash. It’s speculated that the principle of in Fujian Province, commonly known ry and is known today as slip glaze or how to do this was inspired by the dark as the tianmu kilns or Jianyang kilns. tianmu glaze. brown “kiln sweat” that formed on the They are black-glazed tea bowls whose walls of the wood-burning kilns, pro- glaze gives off an iridescent halo, like duced by years of ash and flame. The twinkling fireflies. They undergo a pro- oil spot and rabbit’s fur glazes in the cess known as “kiln transmutation,” The Origins of Song Dynasty (960–1279) were also where the glaze takes on different Tianmu Glaze developed following ancient slip-glaze colors during firing. Within this cat- methods. However, the silicate com- egory is what is known as “brilliant Tianmu is a name given to black- ponent in black glaze, traditionally transmutation” glaze. The Japanese glazed pottery by the Japanese. Tian- provided by wood ash, has now largely name, which is often borrowed in mu tea bowls are the most representa- been replaced by quartz or feldspar. English, is “yohen tenmoku”—some tive teaware of this genre: the practice The Song Dynasty was a golden of these pieces were acquired by Japa- of tea-drinking flourished in the Tang age for ceramic glazing: there was ce- nese collectors during the Momoyama and Song Dynasties, and the kiln ladon (also called greenware) being and Muromachi periods. In Chinese, sites surrounding Mount Tianmu produced at imperial kilns in the north “changed glaze” is known as “yao bian (天目山) in Fujian Province dedicated and south, more celadon being made tianmu (窯變天目),” and “brilliant themselves to producing dark-glazed at “folk kilns” belonging to ordinary transmutation glaze” as “yao bian tea bowls. Later, these came to be people, northern and southern “black” tianmu (曜變天目).” (The “yao” is known as “jian,” “tianmu” tea bowls tianmu glaze, red Jun glaze, and the different) Two of the three examples or “jian zhan (建盞).” Legend has it “green-white” or “shadow-green” glaze that survive today were originally part that a Buddhist monk from Japan once known as qingbai (青白) or yingqing of the collection of shogun Tokugawa spent some time in religious practice at (影青). The tea drinking culture of Ieyasu, while the third piece belonged Mount Tianmu, and when he returned this period made black-glazed ceram- to the collection of Kogetsu Sogan, a home, he took his tea bowl back as a ics especially popular, and demand was prominent monk at Kyoto’s Daitoku-ji memento, naming it “tenmoku” (the high; all the major ceramic-producing temple. All three pieces are considered Japanese pronunciation of tianmu) af- areas across the country began to add national treasures and are housed in ter the mountain it came from. There black-glazed pottery to their products. museums in Japan. are three different types of pattern that Tianmu pieces from Henan, made can be seen on tianmu ceramic glaz- with white clay as a base, are the es: “oil spot” (you di, 油滴), “rabbit’s most representative of the northern Black Glaze & fur” (tu hao, 兔毫) and “magnificent style of bowls. They are quite spe- “Kiln Sweat” change” or “brilliant transmutation” cial. Since the northern kilns were (yao bian, 曜變). The beautiful pat- fueled with coal, which burns rela- After burning wood for a long terns and glowing luster of the “mag- tively quickly, it’s easy for oxygen to time, the walls of the ancient pottery nificent change” glaze make it the most enter the kiln during firing, form- kilns would develop a blackish-brown eye-catching of them all. ing a neutral-oxidizing atmosphere.

42 Tianmu-Ware After firing in these conditions, the ce- Yuan (1271–1368) dynasties. In the iridescent halos are termed “yao bian ramics come out a yellowish-white col- Song Dynasty, tea leaves were fash- tianmu.” This phenomenon is a type or, and the glaze sometimes displays a ioned into semi-fermented “tea paste” of kiln transmutation; exactly what brownish-black speckled effect known cakes. The cakes would be ground into factors produce this special result is a as “oil spot.” a fine powder that was placed in the great mystery. This was a subject that The kilns at Jianyang in the south- tea bowl. When the tea powder was I decided to pursue after the rebuild ern province of Fujian specialized in steeped in once-boiled water, a layer period following Taiwan’s big earth- producing black-glazed tianmu tea of white tea foam would appear on the quake in Nantou in September 1999. bowls. In this region, the clay was stony surface. Tea aficionados would hold I set myself a challenge: if I didn’t suc- with a high iron content. The kilns “contests” where they compared the ceed in firing a yao bian tianmu bowl, I here were fueled with wood, which fineness and volume of the tea foam, would let my beard grow for the rest of has a comparatively long burn time. and how long it lasted. The black glaze my life. Meanwhile, in Japan, other re- Because the process of stoking the kiln of tianmu tea bowls was perfect for off- searchers were also busy trying to pro- with wood was relatively complicated, setting the whiteness of the foam and duce the exact same type of tea bowl. this resulted in intermittent periods of observing the color of the tea, so they One person had fired 80,000 bowls oxygen-deficient combustion, creating became very popular with those who without a single success; another had a reducing atmosphere. Through the enjoyed tea competitions. produced four truckloads of them, also process of reduction, the iron oxide in According to historical records, with no success. I simply hoped that I the clay turned brownish-black, pro- yao bian tianmu-ware tea bowls were could untangle this mystery one step ducing a deep black color in the glaze. a one-in-a-million treasure, coming at a time, realize my dream, and shave about quite by chance. Yao bian pieces off my beard. began as wood-fired black-glazed tian- Ceramic art can take on many dif- mu-ware that happened to develop “oil ferent forms, and although in a sense Tianmu Tea Bowls & spots” surrounded by an iridescent, we can separate conceptual creation Tea Contests rainbow-colored halo through the pro- from research on traditional glazing cess of kiln transmutation. The reason techniques, the two are still inter- The rise and fall oftianmu -ware for this transmutation is still unknown twined. These days, innovation in the tea bowls was influenced by chang- to this day, making these yao bian piec- ceramic arts tends to be focused on the ing tea-drinking practices; this style es an unsolved mystery in the 800-year creation of new shapes, with little in of ceramics reached its peak during history of Chinese ceramic glazes, from the way of distinctive glazes. It appears the Southern Song (1127–1279) and the Southern Song until today. Thir- that even fewer people are willing to ty years ago, a friend of mine spoke experiment with wood-fired glazing. these words: “To surpass tradition, we Pursuing brilliance in the texture of a must first understand it.” I believe that glaze and channeling the artistic ex- unraveling the mystery of kiln trans- pression of the flames; these require a mutation is an important task for the meeting of science and art, the abili- field of ceramic arts. Because we don’t ty to combine sense with sensibility. understand the traditional process, we Wood-fired glazes are an endlessly have not been able to surpass those fascinating topic, which I believe will traditional methods, and the ceram- become a mainstream field of research ic arts in the modern day can only in the future. orient themselves towards new ideas Whether because of interest or a and methods. This study, then, hopes sense of calling, some people leave to solve this mystery, with the aim of home in their youth to become monks uniting the new and the ancient—con- or nuns; others spend their whole lives tinuing the art of both traditional and farming. Some people have nine great modern ceramics, and contributing to wins in their lifetime and one final a more complete picture of the history loss, a much more wretched outcome of ceramic glazes. than simply winning nine times; oth- er people fail nine times before finally succeeding. Our individual person- alities determine the way we live our Wood-Firing Tianmu lives, just as the character of the glaze determines the firing method. After Ancient wood-fired black-glazed thirty-odd years of experimenting with tea bowls displaying oil spot patterns glazes, I sometimes get the sense that I and containing iron and manganese have taken my place among the ranks are extremely rare. Silver-colored of ancient potters throughout history; streaks are considered an even rarer the research of ceramic glazes has be- treasure. Varieties with silver-colored come my vocation, my passion and my spots surrounded by rainbow-colored life’s mission.

43/ Yaobian Tianmu (曜變天目) Field Notes • Analyze the current situation in the field of ceramic arts, including trends and new directions; identify the relative importance of the study of glazes. 把 • Explore the claim that “To surpass tradition, we must first understand it .” • Clarify the focus of study, to improve the completeness of our historical 天 knowledge of ceramic glazes. 才 • Explore the meaning of human life and a sense of purpose, and chal- 火 lenge myself to achieve my ultimate goals. 煉 金 • Interpret the significance of the following: A national treasure comes alive 術 Life comes alive, work comes alive 士 和 The environment comes alive, life comes alive 的 The family comes alive… * * (In Chinese, the words for “fire (火)” and “alive (活)” are both pronounced “huo.” 田 So, the phrase “to come alive” may also bring to mind the phrase “to catch alight.”) 野 土 筆 Preparations: 記 1. Plan the research 2. Understand the systematic principles of ceramic glazing 3. Understand the principles of kiln firing, learn how to independently 變 assemble and alter the structure of a wood-fired kiln 4. Make sure that I like black glaze! 5. Be prepared to document my experience of failures over a long period of time 6. Maintain physical strength and perseverance 7. Gather a large reserve of firewood, and dry it over a long period 成 8. Obtain a loan to cover the costs of the research

Research Process: 金 Early research stage (2000–2004): Tianmu experiments: systematic colla- tion of black glaze research Mid-research stage (2005–2007): Investigate theories of wood-firing and the process of stoking the kiln Late research stage (2008–2010): Investigate firing methods, integrating glazing system and kiln structure Post-research stage (2011–2012): Collate research materials and publish meaningful results * * Throughout these 11 years, I undertook about 400 individual kiln firings in large and small kilns, using 8 different kiln compositions. From 2011 to 2012, I collated a systematic record of all the experimental factors such as kiln structure, glaze and clay, fuel, and firing method.

44 Shipwrec海難船天目ked Tianmu Tianmu Secrets from the Ocean Blue 潛進藍海天目秘密 Of all archaeology’s various branches, underwater archaeology developed relatively late. The discipline was born when scuba diving was invented by the French in 1943. Thanks to this new diving technology, an abundance of historical artifacts were soon discovered on the seabed of the Mediterranean, drawing the world’s attention to this newly-fledged field of study. With more Asian research beginning, we are discovering and learn- ing more about the history of China, including tianmu.

茶人: Huang Hanzhang (黃漢彰)

n recent years, with the contin- additional wreck in Penghu. From this first began to produce black-glazed ued improvement of technology list of shipwreck sites, we can see the pottery in the early Northern Song. I and methods, many Asian coun- influence of Song Dynasty The Jian kilns had their heyday from tries have launched their own archae- on these regions. the middle of the Northern Song until ological research projects, uncovering the mid to late Southern Song Dynas- the remains of numerous shipwrecks. ty. As a result of changes in tea-drink- Among these were wrecks from the ing customs at the end of the South- Song and Yuan Dynasties, which The Rise & Fall ern Song and the beginning of the were found to contain a number of of the Jian Kilns Yuan Dynasty, production began to black-glazed tea bowls produced in decline, and the kiln sites switched to Fujian Province, including Jian kiln TheJian kilns were situated in Shui- producing green-white qingbai porce- pieces (jian yao, 建窯), also known as ji Village in Jianyang County, Fujian. lain. Most of the Jian kilns were built “tianmu,” as well as Jian-style pieces During the Han Dynasty (206 BCE– into the natural slope of a mountain- from other kilns in Fujian. 220 CE), this area was called Jian’an side. Because of their long, dragon-like Asia’s shipwrecks and underwater County, while during the Tang it be- shape, these kilns were nicknamed relics are mainly located in the ter- came a prefecture called Jianzhou, and “dragon kilns (龍窯).” The excavation ritories of Korea and Japan, around today it falls within the jurisdiction of of the Dalu Houmen kiln site revealed the coasts of mainland China, near Fujian’s Jian’ou County (which neigh- that the entire kiln reached a length of the Paracel Islands in the South Chi- bors Jianyang). Within this county are 135.6 meters. na Sea, and in the waters of Southeast Jianxi and Mount Fenghuang, which The craftspeople at the Jian kilns Asia. Some notable examples of wrecks were famed during the Northern Song used funnel-shaped (contain- containing black-glazed tea bowls are Dynasty (960–1126) for their Beiyu- ers used to protect ceramics during the Kurakizaki site in Japan; the Sinan an Tribute Tea. In 1935, American firing) and placed the pieces facing and Taean Mado shipwrecks in South James Marshall Plumer conducted upwards on a clay firing cushion. Korea; the Song Dynasty (960-1279) an archaeological investigation of the The tea bowls were classified into “Bai Jiao 1” in Dinghai, Fujian; the remnants of the Jian kilns, recovering three sizes: large, medium and small. Song Dynasty “Banyang Jiao 1” ship- a large number of black-glazed bowls. Medium-sized bowls ranged from wreck in Longhai, , Fu- In 1960, the University Muse- 11 to 14 centimeters in diameter at jian; the Song Dynasty “Nanhai 1” um of Anthropology launched a study the lip. In terms of shape, they were wreck in Taishan, Guangdong Prov- of the Luhua Ping kiln site, with their wide at the lip and narrow at the foot, ince; the Paracel Islands’ Song Dynasty archaeology department subsequently with four main sub-types: shu kou “Huaguang Jiao 1” wreck; the Yuan carrying out an excavation of the site. (束口) or “indented-mouth,” lian kou Dynasty wreck in Houzhu Harbor, Some of the most well-known (斂口) or “inverted-mouth,” pie kou Quanzhou Bay, Fujian; the late Ming kiln sites include Luhua Ping, the (撇口) or “slanted-mouth” and tang Dynasty (1368–1644) Donggu Bay Dalu Houmen kiln, Yingzhang Gan, kou (敞口) or “open-mouth.” Theshu wreck in Fujian’s Dongshan County; Mount Anwei, Yuantou Keng and Ni- kou style of tea bowl had a small in- the underwater relics at Pingzhang, upi Lun. According to archaeological dented ring just below the rim, form- Fujian; those in Sumatra, Indonesia; findings, the Jian kilns used to produce ing a protruding ridge on the inside those in Makung Harbor, Penghu green-yellow glazed porcelain during that made it particularly suited for (Pescadores Islands), Taiwan; and an the late Tang and Five Dynasties, and observing the tea in tea competitions.

46 Tianmu-Ware

Above is a sunken ship from Quanzhou bay. It dates to the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368); it contained tianmu-ware for trade. Above is a map of the ships found around the islands of the Taiwan Straight. Each yellow dot is a ship that contained a cargo of tianmu-ware. The largest ship found in this area was called “Hua Guang Jiao Yi Hao (華光礁一號),” which roughly translates to: “Light of China, Boat One.” To the left is a dragon kiln, dating back to the Song Dynasty (960–1279) in Houmen Mountain (後門山), Fujian. This is one kiln around Jianyang, which is the most famous of all tianmu areas. This kiln is protected by the government and is the longest dragon kiln in the world. It has been rebuilt several times, including recently. Such kilns could fire tens of thousands of tianmu bowls at once, with wood, grass and other plants packed inside to fire it. Kiln masters guarded the techniques, passing them on generationally. To the right is an excavated tianmu bowl from the Song Dynasty.

Jian-ware is mainly made using bowl, whose most notable charac- ing officials and nobles, through to glaze, with a small number of white- teristic was the absence of an obvious ordinary people, and was especially glaze pieces. Due to factors such as ring-shaped groove at the bottom of esteemed among scholar officials. The the kiln temperature and the influence the inside surface of the bowl. Of the Song Emperor Huizong was partic- of the environment inside the kilns, tea bowls that have been excavated ularly fond of the traditional artistic black glaze has many different mani- with the “Gong Yu” (供御) and “Jin and cultural pastimes (guqin music, festations: the basic types include sin- Zhan” (進盞) maker’s insignia on the the game of Go, calligraphy, painting, gle-fired black glaze, “rabbit’s fur (tu bottoms, a few displayed “rust spots,” poetry, wine and tea), so the trend for hao, 兔毫)” glaze, “partridge feather which are likely the result of decorating tea contests spread from the imperial speckle (or “patridge feather spot,” zhe with spots of glaze for a second firing. court to the general population. In his gu ban, 鷓鴣斑)” glaze, “magnificent These are different from the surviving (translated in our April change (yao bian, 曜變)” glaze, vari- oil spot and brilliant transmutation Ji- 2016 issue), Emperor Song Huizong colored glaze and glaze with colored an-ware bowls housed in Japan, which offers the following commentary on decorations painted on by hand. do not bear any maker’s mark. From tianmu-ware ceramics: “The color of Tianmu-ware is thick and heavy this we can infer that the black-glazed the bowls is an exquisite green-black, with a high iron content; a cross-sec- bowls in the Japanese collections are overlaid with fine jade-like streaks.” tion reveals the inner pottery to likely not Gong Yu pieces. In these words, we see an expression be blackish-gray in color. The clay of the particular fondness for rabbit’s is black-colored Zijin clay (紫金 fur tianmu tea bowls in the culture sur- 土), which differentiates it from the rounding tea contests. tianmu-style ceramics (in other words, Textual Research During the Northern Song Dy- imitation Jian-ware) produced at other nasty, Cai Xiang, a scholar and callig- kilns throughout Fujian Province. As Tea drinking flourished during rapher who oversaw the production tea culture trended toward a simpler the Song Dynasty, and the practice of of tribute tea cakes, wrote his Record approach throughout the late South- holding “tea contests” enjoyed vigorous of Tea (translated in our April 2017 ern Song to the Yuan Dynasty, the Jian popularity throughout society, from issue). In the section entitled “Whisk- kilns began producing a type of hybrid the imperial household, high-rank- ing Tea,” Cai Xiang recounts how this

47/ Shipwrecked Tianmu 建 陽後 的 驕 傲門 山

tea-drinking method was popular Te a also contains the following advice: of Jian-ware bowls touched the hearts throughout all echelons of society in “If you wish to whisk tea, you must of those who used them for tea com- the Jianzhou prefecture at that time, first warm the bowl. If it is cold, the petitions. and how the custom of holding tea tea will not float. The body of rabbit’s Moving on to the Qing Dynasty, contests (dou cha, 鬥茶) developed fur bowls is thick, so they retain heat during the reign of the Qianlong Em- as a refinement of the tea whisking for a long time and are very suitable peror, we find some pertinent records method (dian cha, 點茶). Thisdian for use. The bowls known as “rabbit’s in On Pottery, written by Zhu Yan, cha brewing method involved grinding fur” bowls come from Jian’an.” The with the fifth volume containing the tea cakes into a fine powder, putting Qingyi Records (清異錄) state that, claim that the term “partridge speckle it directly into the tea bowl and add- “The bowls made in Fujian with par- refers to rabbit’s fur bowls.” In the late ing hot water before whisking the tea tridge speckle patterns are highly prized Qing, Ji Yuansou wrote The Elegance of into a froth with a bamboo tea whisk. by masters of tea contests.” However, Pottery. In the latter part of the book, Tea contests involved comparing the there is a possibility these “partridge the 32nd section, on Jian-ware tea elegance of the teaware, as well as the speckle” bowls actually came from the bowls, contains the following passage: quality, flavor and color of the tea. Jizhou kilns in Jiangxi. Another work, “The phrase ‘partridge speckle’ refers In the “Tea Bowls” section of the Tea Competitions, provides an import- to rabbit’s fur bowls. The partridge book, Cai Xiang notes the following: ant source of material on tea history speckle markings are wide, while the “The tea is light in color, which is best in Fujian during the Northern Song, rabbit’s fur markings are needle-thin; suited to a black bowl. The bowls made a period when Beiyuan Tribute Tea in this way they are slightly different. in Jian’an are purplish-black in color, enjoyed great popularity. The book In recent times, people in Fujian have with patterns that resemble a rabbit’s contains the following commentary on excavated quite a number of ancient fur. The body is quite thick and pre- tianmu tea bowls: “The purple rabbit’s tianmu bowls. They are thick and pur- serves heat for a long time, making fur bowl is fresh and new; clear water ple-black in color. The tea bowls are rel- them the most highly sought-after. No boils with crab-eye bubbles. The snow atively large; the Valley poet uses them other bowls are quite as good for the freezes into flowers; the clouds have for tea competitions. The wine bowls purpose; experts in tea contests do not not a wisp of mist between them.” are comparatively small; the Dong- use pale green ceramics.” The Record of From this, we can see how the poetry po poet uses them for drinking wine.

48 Tianmu-Ware This can be confirmed in Cai Xiang’s These black-glazed Jian kiln tea Record of Tea. There is no doubt that bowls were perfectly suited to the re- they are Song Dynasty pieces, pro- quirements of tea competitions. The duced in the Jian kilns at Jian’an. On classic types of glaze included rabbit’s the bottoms of the bowls, the two char- fur, partridge speckle, black glaze with acters Gong Yu (供御) are inscribed in brown colored decoration and “black 帶深 regular Kaishu script.” gold” glaze. The Japanese also deeply 來 This description provides some in- admired Jian-ware. In 1335, during sight into the characteristics of tianmu the Kamakura period, a Japanese 光 ceramics, as well as indicating that a monk who was practicing near Mount large amount of Jian-ware had already Tianmu in Zhejiang Province took a 明 been excavated in Fujian by the late black-glazed Jian-ware bowl back to 海 Qing, prior to James Marshall Plum- Japan with him. The style of glaze was er’s excavation work at the Jian kilns. subsequently named “tenmoku,” which There remains some controversy, how- is the Japanese pronunciation of the ever, about equating partridge speckle characters “天目 (‘tianmu’ in Chinese, and rabbit’s fur glazes in this way. after the mountain).” A number of well-known Jian-ware heirloom pieces 的 remain today in collections through- Distribution & Outward out Japan. There are differing opinions on the precise meaning of the name 轉 Influence of Tianmu tianmu or tenmoku, however. In the field of ancient ceramics, it’s believed 暗 The distinctive tea drinking culture to refer to Chinese black-glazed porce- 寶 of the Song Dynasty brought about lain in general, while some believe that 為 a craze for black-glazed tea bowls, it refers specifically to black-glazed tea 明 from the advent of the dian cha “tea bowls from the Jian kilns of Fujian whisking” method to the tea contest Province. culture that followed. The tea favored Because of differences in culture at that time was powdered tea or “mo and aesthetic sensibilities, the Japanese 藏 cha (沫茶),” flavored tea that could be had different names for the colors of whisked into a foam. From today’s per- Jian-ware’s black glazes. For example, spective, one could say that consuming in the late 15th and early 16th century, this type of tea really involves eating the advisor to the Ashikaga (Muroma- most often came from the Chayang the tea rather than drinking it. This chi) Shogunate responsible for cultural kilns and “golden script” pieces from meant that using black-glazed ceramics activities compiled a volume entitled the Oulin Ting kilns. A few pieces dec- was a necessary part of tea competition An Account of the Views of the Left orated in the “golden script” style were culture. The black-glazed tea bowls and Right of the Palace. In the book, also produced in the Jian kilns. Some produced in the Jian kilns became Jian-ware is classified into seven dif- examples of black-glazed tea bowls beloved among tea drinkers across all ferent types according to the color of decorated with gold and silver script strata of society and led the way for the glaze: brilliant transmutation, oil were found in the workshop area of tianmu-style ceramics to be produced spot, tianmu bowls, black bowls (wu the Oulin Ting kiln site. Furthermore, everywhere in Fujian. According to zhan, 烏盞), tortoiseshell bowls, neng- the golden script Jian-ware pieces that archaeological evidence, there were pi bowls and tenmoku bowls. Of these, survive today in Japan bear the charac- 20 or more areas with kilns producing tianmu bowls displaying the “brilliant ters “壽山福海 (shou shan fu hai)” on black-glazed bowls across Fujian Prov- transmutation” glaze were a rare, one- the inside of the bowl, loosely mean- ince, spreading across northern Fujian, in-a-million treasure. Tianmu glaze, ing: “May you be as long-lived as the the Fuzhou region and southern Fuji- on the other hand, referred to that of mountains and as happy as the sea is an (Minnan). The northern region of everyday ceramic-ware which was not wide.” Another specimen displaying Fujian is situated to the south of the considered valuable enough for im- this gold script style of decoration was Wuyi mountain range and is home to perial use. The most highly regarded also found at the mountainside Jian the three major tributaries that form in this category was partridge feather kiln site at Dalu Houmen. the upper reaches of the Minjiang Riv- speckle glaze. er (namely the Jian River, the Futun The more well-known heirloom River and the Sha River). As tea cul- pieces that exist in Japan today include ture continued to flourish, kilns sprang “yohen (yao bian) tenmoku,” “oil spot” Tianmu Found up all over these three main regions, or “yuteki tenmoku,” “partridge speckle in Shipwrecks producing black-glazed bowls in the tenmoku” and “golden script tenmoku.” style of the original Jian kilns in Shuiji Yao bian and oil spot glazes are con- Modern archaeology has led to the Village, Jianyang County. Tea was ex- sidered special products of the original discovery of tianmu tea bowls from tremely popular at the time. Jian kilns, while partridge speckle glaze Fujian in shipwrecks and underwater

49/ Shipwrecked Tianmu The bowl on the top left was found on the Hua Guang Jiao Yi Hao ship discussed on the previous page, which is a very famous and large ship brought up off the coast of Fujian. In the close-up above is a Song Dynasty bowl brought up from the ocean, you can see what Master Lin Jinzhong called “kiln sweat” on p. 42, which is caused by wood-firing and ash. To the left is a shard that was also excavated from a sunken ship. It is an example of a “partridge (feather) spot (zhe gu ban, 鷓鴣斑)” bowl, which were more rare. The dots are painted on before firing using a white clay. These bowls would have commanded a much higher price than the normal black bowls or “oil spot” bowls. Even though it is a broken shard, this piece is a rare treasure that would be worth quite a bit to a collector of tianmu-ware nowadays. Partridge spot tianmu provides a stunning backdrop for green tea, bested only by the famed yao bian pieces.

relics throughout the coastal waters of By analyzing the hulls and cargo Island, Fujian. Significantly, this bowl mainland China, as well as in the ter- of these Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) differs in age from the ship itself by ritories of Japan, Korea, the Paracel Is- shipwrecks carrying Song Dynasty several hundred years, leading to spec- lands, the Penghu (Pescadores) Islands tea bowls, we can infer that most of ulation that it was perhaps a separate of Taiwan and the waters of South-East the ships had set out from the port relic from the surrounding seabed. Asia. The highest concentration of of Ningbo in China and were bound In 1987, the Song Dynasty “Nanhai these discoveries has been in mainland for Japan. The large number of black- 1” shipwreck was discovered near the China, Japan and Korea, with relative- glazed tea bowls aboard the vessel that Chuanshan Islands in Taishan County, ly few in Southeast Asia. This is likely sunk unexpectedly in the Korean wa- Guangdong. The black-glazed bowls linked to the spread of tea culture. ters of Sinan reflects the great appre- found among its cargo were wide- The tea bowls that were dubbed ciation that Japanese tea drinkers held mouthed with slanted sides and flat “partridge speckle tenmoku” by the for these black-glazed bowls from Fu- bottoms, with a short, circular foot Japanese during the Yuan Dynasty jian. The historical remains near Taean ring at the base. Some of these pieces have been confirmed to originate from Mado in South Korea were discovered were from the Cizao kilns, their prov- the Chayang kilns in northern Fujian, to contain a large number of black- enance preserved in ink characters on while the Fujian black-glazed tea bowls glazed bowls from the Dongzhang the underside of the foot. Discovered excavated from the Sinan wreck in Ko- kilns, which were situated in the coast- aboard the “Bai Jiao 1” shipwreck in rea were produced at the original kilns al region of eastern Fujian. Similar the waters of Lianjiang County, Fuji- at Jianyang, as well as some from the pieces have been discovered in Japan, an, were several hundred black-glazed Chayang and Dongzhang kiln sites. Korea, along the southeast coast of bowls, believed to be Jian-style pieces The bowls from the Chayang kilns mainland China and in the waters of from the kilns in Fuzhou. numbered over 200. The Jian-ware Java in Indonesia. At the site of another shipwreck, found aboard this wreck dates to the The “Fuzhou bowls” referred to in the Southern Song “Huaguang Jiao late Southern Song so we can infer Japanese records were produced at the 1,” discovered in the Paracel Islands, that all this Jian-ware found aboard Dongzhang kilns. In the past, a black- researchers found more than 10,000 the Sinan wreck was likely bound for glazed bowl from the Dongzhang kilns ceramic pieces, as well as tin, copper Japan, in high demand due to the pop- was also discovered on the late Ming and stone vessels, and more than 500 ularity of tea culture there at that time. era wreck at Donggu Bay, Dongshan wooden fragments from the ship itself.

50 Tianmu-Ware The ceramics included green, white, of Fujian black-glazed bowls found in excavations of black-glazed tea bowls green-white (qingbai, 青白) and black shipwrecks in Southeast Asian waters and to make a preliminary analysis of glazed pieces. Some of the qingbai piec- remains relatively low, which is likely the underwater archaeological findings es were from the kilns of Jingdezhen, related to the spread of tea culture at of black-glazed tea bowls from across while the rest were mainly produced the time the ships were active. In 2012, Asia, in the hope of shedding some in Fujian. Among their number were a the Guangdong Maritime Silk Road light on their kilns of origin and area few black-glazed tea bowls; judging by Museum discovered two black-glazed of distribution. the differences in glaze and shape, they tea bowls in the waters of Sumatra, In- In the past, incomplete knowledge are likely to have originated from the donesia. From the glaze, material com- meant that the exact kiln from which Oulin Ting kilns at the Wuyi Moun- position and shape, one of them was a piece originated was often unknown, tains and the Cizao kilns in Jinjiang. judged to be a piece from the original and ceramics were often classified In terms of shape, these bowls were Jian kilns, while the other was a Ji- more broadly by the region they were wide-mouthed, with a slight indenta- an-style piece produced in the Fuzhou produced in or their general style. As tion around the lip; they have slanted area. From the scarcity of these black- archaeological endeavors have contin- sides and a short circular foot. The glazed bowls, it’s thought that they ued to produce fruitful results, under- black glaze is applied to the inside and were probably personal possessions of water excavations have helped fill in outside surfaces of the bowl, stopping one of the crew members. some of those knowledge gaps left by above the foot to reveal the natural col- land archaeology. This has allowed for or of the pottery near the base. a comparative analysis in this article, in Some of the pieces display thin the hope of providing the reader with streaks of brown on the glaze; of these, Conclusion a clearer understanding of various key there are two black-glazed bowls with topics pertinent to black-glazed tea silver-gray patterns and script decorat- There have already been a number bowls, including trade, production, ing the inside surface. One of them is of academic articles published on the distribution, consumption and mari- decorated with four circular kaiguang subject of Song Dynasty Jian kiln and time trade routes. patterns and bears the characters Jian-kiln-style black-glazed tea bowls, “壽山福海 (shou shan fu hai, “May including reports on archaeological you be as long-lived as the mountains surveys of the kiln sites. The various and as happy as the sea is wide”)” shapes, glazes and styles discovered at in narrow golden script. The other one the kiln sites have provided a founda- has the character “福 (fu, happiness or tion for the study of black-glazed tea good fortune)” written on the inside bowls from all over China. Through- surface in regular Kaishu calligraphic out my own experience working on script. In the center of the bowl there underwater archaeological excavations are some faint golden spots visible on over the years, I have personally dis- the glaze, which are probably the rem- covered a good many black-glazed tea nants of a pattern outlined in gold. bowls from Fujian, most recently at the This indicates that these bowls belong Penghu and Dongsha Islands. In this to the category termed “golden script article, then, I have endeavored to uni- tenmoku” in Japanese. The quantity fy some information from land-bound

碗裡宇宙 茶下的無盡

51/ Shipwrecked Tianmu 回 歸 古 海 代 愛 茶 人 之 失 去 海 耀

Black-glazed tianmu from the Song Dynasty (960–1279), excavated from various shipwrecks. The ring in the center of some cheap- er bowls allowed the bowls to be fired in stacks so the glaze wouldn’t stick together. Tianmu Artisans 天目藝術家 W王ang 希 Xi 瑞 Rui Earlier, we took our tianmu journey to the master, interviewing one of Taiwan’s most famous tianmu potters, with decades of experience. But we also wanted to introduce the next genera- tion of tianmu artisans, who will help continue the journey onwards, learning from Master Lin Jinzhong. The same passion and devotion that stokes his kiln is burning in the next generation of artists. Wang Xi Rui works just as hard as the old master, and with an equal verve for tianmu, and yao bian in particular. When we visited him, we left inspired by his simple lifestyle devoted to his art, through suffering and success. And his beautiful bowls also were inspiring, as they are already gorgeous at this early stage in his tianmu exploration, which heralds a lot of incredible work to come. We hope that this journey through the history, creation and lore of tianmu is fully fleshed out by the color and scope these two amazing artists bring to this issue. We know that meeting both of them has left an indelible impression on us. We also have a special offer from Wang Xi Rui, which we’ll explain after we introduce him!

茶人: Wu De (無的)

ang Xi Rui was born to be prentice to his father and other trades- of tianmu can also be challenging, be- a potter. He was born in man, artists, clay and glaze makers and cause it is in part made of clay, whereas Yingge, the pottery capital even tool producers. He worked with most glazes are made of various pow- Wof Taiwan. Wang’s father had a factory his father almost every day and then dered minerals and metal oxides that that produced mold-made teapots in was sent around town to learn with his are then mixed with water to liquefy the style of Yixingware, which were father’s acquaintances and friends who them. Finally, tianmu ceramics are also very popular when Wang Xi Rui was a had a greater expertise in various as- very sensitive to temperature, so the boy. He was born in 1988, the Year of pects of pottery, from blending clay to kiln must be very closely watched for the Mouse. He told us that his father throwing on a wheel, and from glazing the entire eight hours. had a very strong work ethic, which is to firing pieces. He was already profi- Tianmu clay is very high in iron. common amongst Taiwanese of that cient in much of this by the time he In the Song Dynasty (960–1279), the generation. He passed this on to his reached adulthood. clay used to make the greatest tianmu son from an early age. Wang Xi Rui Wang Xi Rui was particularly in- pieces were all around ten percent iron. always had his hands in clay. When we terested in and skilled at glazing, Nowadays, most tianmu potters in Tai- asked him how young he was when he learning from various masters around wan use a combination of Taiwanese began taking up pottery, he laughed Yingge. He was keen to learn every- and Japanese clay that is around three and said that clay is a part of his whole thing he could about the creation of percent iron. The iron is a colorant and life, going back beyond memory. glazes, the various ways to apply them in the reduction firing cycle of tianmu, Even as a baby, he was around clay and how they change in the firing. It iron oxide creates crystals and depth in and the production of teaware. He re- was through his exploration of glazing the tianmu glazes. calls asking his father to go play: “You that he came across tianmu wares. He Glazes were traditionally catego- want to play? Play with this!” his father told us that he first became interested rized by the type of “flux” in them, exclaimed, slapping a large ball of clay in tianmu pottery because of the chal- which helps liquefy the glaze and on the table. We can imagine the boy lenge. With an excited twinkle in his lowers the melting point of the glass- being upset for a moment or two as he eye, he said: “The process of making like minerals in the glaze or clay un- imagines his friends playing ball with- tianmu is very difficult indeed, and that derneath (usually boron trioxide or out him, and then slowly relaxing his is thrilling! I have been working every silica). The oldest fluxes are ash-based, furrowed brow as the ball of clay calls day for the last five years, with very few feldspar, salt or lead. There are many to him. A minute or two more and his breaks at all, trying to create tianmu kinds of tianmu glazes, but all con- hands are covered in clay. And an hour pieces.” He said that tianmu pottery is tain liquid clay, called “slip,” along later and the table is full of little snaked challenging because the clay must be with other glazes. Most of the pat- up coils, balls and other shapes. Again, blended right and able to withstand terns in traditional tianmu pieces are Wang Xi Rui was born to be a potter. the extremely hot firing, which is up caused by iron in the clay and glaze Nowadays, there are many more to 1300 °C and for a longer duration reacting to the lack of oxygen in the opportunities for young artists to be than most ceramics. Most often, pot- kiln, which is caused by the extreme trained formally, but Wang Xi Rui ters refer to ceramics fired at very high temperature and pressure. They are learned in the traditional way, as an ap- temperatures as . The glazing creations of the kiln they are fired in.

54 Teaware Artisans

The day we visited Wang Xi Rui was very special. We were introduced to him by our dear friend and Global Tea Hut member, Peter Kuo, whom we have written about in previous issues. We went over in the morning, interviewed Wang and then he showed us his studio and work flow. He spends all his time at the studio, and sometimes goes with little sleep. He throws bowls on a wheel, trims and mixes glazes. He demonstrat- ed how he throws his favorite shape of bowl. Then he showed us how he mix- es glazes with his hands, as well as the proper way to dip the bowls into the glaze to ensure an even coverage with- out getting any on the foot of the bowl. We were lucky that he was firing on the day when we were there, as we also got to look inside the kiln. Tianmu-ware is fired at a very high temperature. Wang uses electricity to get the kiln up to 1200 °C and then injects gas from a large tank to boost the temperature to 1300 °C. He mentioned that this also helps remove all the oxygen, which changes the patterns in the glaze and clay. What a day for learning about tianmu!

Modern tianmu makers often marvel Another factor in the beauty of the imperfection of them (wabi), but at the difficulty of achieving this with tianmu pieces is the way the glaze runs tianmu potters usually don’t and often wood-fired dragon kilns back in the down into the center of the bowl and sell them for cheaper or destroy them. dynastic eras. Dragon kilns are long, down the outside. The classic para- When we asked Wang Xi Rui winding kilns that went up a moun- gon of this is the “rabbit’s fur (tu hao, about the infamously low success rate tain, allowing kiln masters to put vari- 兔毫)” pieces of the Song Dynasty. “In of tianmu ceramics, he guffawed and ous types of pieces in different locations order to be true rabbit’s fur,” Wang Xi said: “Are you kidding? I went a whole within the kiln for firing. Nowadays, Rui said with a grin, “the lines must year without a single successful piece. most tianmu makers like Wang Xi Rui be very tiny, like fur and evenly spaced I destroyed them.” He had mentioned use electricity to get the kiln to 1200 as if the fur was combed. It is easy to earlier that he has been working in °C and then start injecting gas, which make pieces with large lines running tianmu for the last four or five years, so helps remove all the oxygen inside, down, but thin, graceful and even lines we assumed he was referring to his first stressing the iron to create beautiful are extremely difficult.” Many times, year of trying. When we asked him he patterns. To produce the right amount the glaze runs down onto the kiln shelf laughed even more, grabbing his belly: of reduction for achieving nice results and the piece must be destroyed. Other “I destroyed my first year’s work too, in tianmu work is quite challenging, times it runs down onto the foot of the but I was talking about a whole other especially in dragon kilns. It is a marvel bowl, past the glaze rim. Some people year, which was maybe my third year that they succeeded. like these drops of glaze that form and in. Actually, I guess I destroyed two

55/ Tianmu Artisans: Wang Xi Rui (王希瑞) years’ worth of work.” With his hands Our admiration grew as the two Wang Xi Rui loves the challenge. In still on his stomach from laughing he old friends shared war stories con- fact, he still aims for the sky, hoping to made a gesture that suggested hunger cerning the ways they have suffered achieve greatness!. and in a semi-serious way told us that for their art, and what they learned Wang brought out many test pieces throughout that time he hardly made passing through the kilns that fired made from various kinds of clay and enough money to eat, and even then, them into more finished pieces today. glazes and talked to us about the qual- not adequately or regularly. We were The suffering forced them to return to ity that makes a tianmu piece great. introduced to Wan Xi Rui by our dear the wheel again and again solely for He called it “jun yun (均勻),” which friend Peter Kuo, whom we introduced the sake of the art and eliminated the roughly translates to “uniformity.” in the October 2017 issue of Glob- marketing from the equation, making Wang meant that the patterns in the al Tea Hut. The two have been good them search for a more inner, spiritual glaze should be even, without irregu- friends since childhood. They both inspiration to create pottery aside from larities. This is very challenging, since reminisced about the hardships of be- recognition or making a living. Ob- the patterns are created by the whims ing young, starving artists and Wang viously, there are easier ways to earn of the kiln. Perfection in tianmu, looked at his friend with gratitude say- money than art, and even within ce- with perfect rabbit fur strokes, small ing that Peter helped feed him during ramics there are much more lucrative crystalline patterns, spots or stripes is the hard years when he was learning choices than tianmu—with one of the very difficult to achieve and only hap- and all his pieces were destroyed. steepest learning curves there is. But pens rarely, especially in a single kiln.

56 Teaware Artisans

He got a faraway look in his eyes and For many centuries, the science, himself. He said he couldn’t show one said his lifelong goal is to create a sin- craft and art of tianmu were lost to of those better pieces to us, as he had gle treasured masterpiece, which in the world, and so, like most tianmu to sell them to feed himself. Fortunate- the tianmu world is called a “yao bian artists, Wang Xi Rui is also devoted to ly, we already have some of his pieces (曜變).” Yao bian (yohen in Japanese) rediscovering the lost techniques and to show in the magazine, and whether literally means “magnificent change,” understanding them through modern or not they make his best of the best referring to the way the glazes of tian- science. He is constantly testing new list, we think they are stunning. mu change naturally in the kiln. A yao clays, glazes and firing methods to try As Peter has grown more interest- bian piece is a perfect masterpiece of to rediscover lost techniques and re- ed in tea these last few years, in part uniform glory that reminds the viewer fine the ones that are in practice. This through the love and inspiration of of the night sky, reflecting the cosmos and his pursuit of a single masterpiece this Global Tea Hut community, he just beneath our tea—a difficult goal are the flames that drive him to work has convinced his old friend that the to attain, indeed! Yao bian is a kind of so hard, day in and day out—even whole industry in Yingge began out of tianmu as well, and no one alive is able through hard times where he had to teaware and that understanding tea is to reproduce it. No one alive has yet rely on the kindness of a friend to sur- a huge part of developing mastery in figured out how yao bian pieces occur. vive! this craft. “I no longer see my tianmu He said that out of tens of thousands The fact that so many pieces never pieces as mere decorative art,” Wang of pieces discovered from the ancient see the light of day and that the tech- said. “I hope people use these bowls to Song days, only three yao bian pieces niques and skills involved are only just drink tea. As I learn more about tea, I have been discovered so far. Peter told being discovered doesn’t deter Wang am learning about the effects tianmu us that Wang Xi Rui essentially spends Xi Rui, but rather drives him. He said bowls have on tea and that is changing all his time in his studio. He is not that even now around thirty percent my whole creative process.” Like most married yet and has no family. We’d of his pieces are destroyed and out of of us, Tea is teaching Wang Xi Rui how say he is married to tianmu, working a hundred that do survive only one or to improve himself and his work in the every day towards mastery. two meet the standards he has set for world. We certainly love the way his bowls look and feel in the hand and the magic they offer a green tea, espe- cially striped green teas like our Tea of the Month, which is amazing in these bowls. Part of our aim with this Global Tea Hut is to promote hardworking, devoted artists like Wang Xi Rui. We could have chosen established artists for this issue, but we knew that we wanted to help a burgeoning artist reach his goal of mastery. To further Wang Xi Rui’s journey, we are expos- ing his gorgeous smile and beautiful bowls to our tea community. We knew when we started this issue that many of you would be interested in owning a tianmu bowl and that they are hard to find in the West. We ordered thirty of Wang Xi Rui’s bowls, which we are offering as part of our Light Meets Life fundraiser. You can read more about this special offer on the following page! It was very inspiring to stand so close to such a bright flame of inspi- ration. We admire Wang’s devotion to his art, his commitment to the craft through hard times and his blossom- ing love for tea. We are happy to re- port that his starving days are past, and he is starting to come into his place in the tea world and garner some repute. Devotion, love, passion, a dash of skill and lots of hard work always lead to success in art as in all things, including a tea practice!

57/ Tianmu Artisans: Wang Xi Rui (王希瑞) 58 天目碗Tianmu Bowl

Own a one-of-a-kind Offer tianmu bowl!

hether you are aware of thors would discuss teas, teaware and Then, we started the Expansion it or not, there is an issue concepts that had no bearing on the Packs. These aren’t fundraisers to sup- behind the scenes of the experiences of Western tea drinkers. port our current Center, Tea Sage Hut, WGlobal Tea Hut magazine, commu- It is frustrating to read about teas we nor part of the Light Meets Life fund- nity and experience that we are always cannot ever have, teaware production raiser. We realized that the vastness of conscious of, which is closing the gap of things we’ll never see and concepts the tea world dwarfs the twelve teas between our experience living in Tai- based on a history that doesn’t have a we send out each year with the mag- wan and yours, our beloved tea sisters bearing on our experiences drinking azines as Teas of the Months. Also, and brothers around the world. Long tea at home. We are always conscious due to volume and the need to keep ago, when Wu De helped found the of this, and many of the innovations costs low, we cannot always send the Art of Tea Magazine, and then The Leaf, we’ve made in the last couple of years highest-quality examples of any tea and then traveled to promote them in have been completely or partially mo- within the topic we are discussing. The the West, he encountered this issue tivated by this: how do we foster closer Expansion Packs offer the opportunity even more than a decade ago. “It was community and cover issues that you for those who are interested to increase amazing how different the Western tea can touch, see, experience and drink? the scope of their tea education, drink- experience was from the Chinese one, Of course, the Global Tea Hut ing their way through more varieties of though in hindsight that seems obvi- app falls into this category, as one of tea, in both type and quality, further- ous,” he says. There are, most likely, our main goals was to create virtual ing the discussion of that issue. fewer tea shops and houses where you communication between tea lovers to Some of you then asked for us are and less of a knowledgeable com- learn, grow and explore the world of to have some special offers like this munity to discuss tea with and learn tea together. Also, it has always been month’s, offering the chance to get from. A huge aspect of our Global Tea our hope that you will use the app to some rarer cakes for drinking/storing, Hut is to create that community, both create actual, real-time gatherings to like the Swirling Mist we offered in virtually and in real life as we meet for meet other members and drink tea to- March of this year. This month was the gatherings. gether, and we think that the app has perfect chance to have another such A lot of the early readers of those successfully done that. We hope that offer, as we realized that a whole maga- early magazines complained that this aspect of the app continues to zine of articles on the history, produc- when articles were translated, the au- grow! tion and lore of tianmu bowls would

59 maybe reach some in the way we men- him cry. You have done that! In that tioned above, as tianmu bowls are rare- way, we also wanted to support the ly seen or used in the West. We wanted burgeoning career of struggling artist to offer some of you the chance to get Wang Xi Rui (王希瑞), who we dis- a tianmu bowl if you wanted one, to cussed on pp. 53–58. explore the effects it has on tea liquor, Wang Xi Rui’s bowls are gorgeous and green tea in particular. Wu De al- and he works very hard. In purchasing ways says that drinking a nice, striped one, you will not only get the chance green tea in a gorgeous tianmu bowl is to own a one-of-a-kind tianmu bowl, 天 on the list of “must-have” experiences but also to support this young man, in 使 for every Chajin. And we wanted to of- whom we believe. We will have a few fer some of you the chance to do just dozen of his bowls up on the site for 茶 that! sale should you want a tianmu bowl in Finally, there is another aspect to support of Wang and his art! Any ex- these special offers, which is that they tra funds raised will go to support this 綺 afford us all, as a community, the Global Tea Hut, should you wish to chance to make a difference in the lives contribute extra. However, as we men- 目 of artists and tea makers. As you know, tioned, the real motivation behind this 麗 we don’t want Global Tea Hut to have special offer is to offer you an experi- a positive impact by just discussing en- ence and to support Wang Xi Rui! vironmental philosophy or integrity in tea, but rather to make a real, on-the- The bowls will be a mini- ground difference in the lives of peo- ple. Some of you know, the only tea mum of $100 + shipping. we send every year is Elevation because Proceeds support Light we as a community have committed to Meets Life: buy all the tea that Mr. Su cannot sell 夢 each year, changing his life and making (www.globalteahut.org/tianmu)

60 TeaWayfarer Each month, we introduce one of the Global Tea Hut members to you in order to help you get to know more people in this growing international community. It’s also to pay homage to the many manifestations that all this wonder- ful spirit and Tea are becoming as the Tea is drunk and becomes human. The energy of Tea fuels some great work in this world, and we are so honored to share glimpses of such beautiful people and their Tea. This month, we would like to introduce Erin Farb.

met her on the shortest night of the year. I had never experienced, or even heard of, Cha Dao. With the first I sip from my bowl, Cha told me not to worry about what those around me might think. She allowed me to feel into her, into myself. With my eyes closed, I was with only her. I swayed when I felt moved by the music. I felt at home, connected to the earth in the same way I did when alone in the mountains, surrounded by trees. I joined Global Tea Hut the next day and attended two more tea sessions. Cha Dao entered my life just as I was open- ing into a new soul-space. At first, I did not introduce her to others. I kept her for myself, learning about her. Learning about myself. I uncovered deeper knowledge of who I was, my connection to Earth, Spirit and Heart. The first time I served tea was to the women who had been coming to my home each month for collective meditation. From that night I knew Cha was the way I would share my love with them. Once a month, for three years now I have wel- comed new and returning sisters to share this gift. The group is never the same. I serve them tea followed by a dinner I pre- pare in gratitude and love, offerings from my heart to theirs. Following tea meditation, these women then open their hearts to one another. They share stories of compassion, insecurity, fear, pain, and joy such as caring for a dying parent, support- 茶人: Erin Farb ing a grieving partner, the birth of a grandchild, the decision to abandon a career for a passion. They share their souls with When I at last invited him to sit and receive, he came with an women they have only just met. They bring their mothers and open heart. daughters, other soul sisters, to share in tea meditation. Tea is In the last few months, Tea has lit a fire in me. I feel myself my offering of love to them and through this offering I have unfurling like her leaves in hot water, opening in offering. I seen their souls stir and unravel with the steam from their have been invited to serve tea in the homes of family elders bowls. and other soul-workers. Sisters and brothers sit with me each More recently, Cha has been my own steady earth guide month. When a guest leaves a and says they through painful trauma. She has reminded me of my connec- have not felt such peace in their lives, I am honored to have tion to Tierra and Spirit. She has held me when my soul spilled been able to create a little pocket of loving, healing stillness. I grief into her bowl. With her, I have explored the fear of an share her wherever, whenever, I can. I take her with me into unknown path through darkness. I have found poetry in the the mountains, sharing her with the trees and dirt. I share her darkness. In continuing to share her with others, my heart has when I visit friends out of town. I share her on the floor of my remained open and I have not lost my generosity of spirit. tiny office with any colleague who pokes a head in looking for Last spring I finally visited Tea Sage Hut. I knew it was a few minutes. I have shared her with more than a hundred time. Surrounded by the steady love of Wu De, Janice, Shen Su people this year, most of them for the first time. and Raneta, my connection to Cha was reinforced, validated, With my visit to Tea Sage Hut, the community I have honored, deepened. I found resolution during my stay that built, and the rapidly growing Global Tea Hut community, I would change my life when I returned home. I also realized celebrate that I am not alone in this beautiful journey. So many where I had been creating a blockage. For three years I had of you join me in honoring Cha, the Earth, Spirit and all that honored my soul sisters with the gift of Cha, but I had ne- lives within our brothers and sisters all over this magnificent glected my soul brothers. Not once had I served a single one of earth. We all bring beauty, bursting with love, into the lives them. Not even my own father. He had been waiting patiently. of others.

61/ TeaWayfarer Inside the Hut

Coming Soon to Global Tea Hut Magazine

茶主题: Annual Trip 茶主题:Classics of Tea 茶主题:Chajin Stories/Biographies 茶主题:Dancong Oolong

If you serve tea regularly and would like some It is our aim to fully launch our video series extra magazines or tea tins to give out to help spread this year, and our three new interns at the Center are the word about Global Tea Hut, please let us know. We hard at work learning and studying to make this a re- are also looking to donate magazines to public places. ality. We want to have a monthly talk on the Tea of the Month and magazine like we used to do, a series on ten-day courses we offer at the Tea Sage Hut, an- We are trying to expand by connecting with other series on the volunteers who live and work here podcasts, blogs, journalists and other communities. If and maybe even some Chinese lessons covering tea you have a suggestion, please email our PR point per- terms, as some of you have requested. Expect to see our son, Emily Cross, at: [email protected] YouTube channel get very active soon!

Remember, there is a section in the app where you can post your questions for our live Instagram and Facebook broadcasts. Wu De will answer these com- munity questions first every time. Center News Before you visit, check out the Center’s We will be publishing the first of our textbooks website (www.teasagehut.org) to read about this year. We are very excited to start what will be a the schedule, food, what you should bring, etc. long-term project to create five brewing textbooks and Make sure you apply early for courses as they seven tea textbooks—one for each genre of tea. fill up fast (this is why we need a bigger, more awesome Center).

Take a picture of you and your loved ones open- We have opened all the ten-day courses ing Global Tea Hut or drinking the Tea of the Month to service! This is exciting for those of you who and #tag us on Instagram. We will be selecting five peo- have already taken a ten-day course and want to ple who post their experience to receive free tea every come serve one. You can apply on the website. month from now on! (#globalteahut) This is also another way to visit if a course is full!

Our longer course for older students will be over the course of two weeks in late August. This course is for those who have been initiated May Affirmation into our lineage. Contact us if you are interested in attending. It will be from the 15th to the 25th. I am bright There will also be a trip to Sun Moon Lake be- Do I allow the darkness to bring me down? Does forehand, possibly for five days! the world seem too troubled to heal? I can choose The Center garden is rocking these days, to manifest light. I transcend the hate and answer with corn and all kinds of organic greens. with love. I share my heart openly with the world, We aim to grow anywhere between one-third to as I share tea. one-half of our food! 榮耀

www.globalteahut.org GLOBAL EA HUT The most yao bian Tea magazine in the world! Tea & Tao Magazine Sharing rare organic teas, a magazine full of tea his- tory, lore, translations, processing techniques and heritage, as well as the spiritual aspects of Cha Dao. And through it all, we make friends with fellow tea lovers from around the world.