Teabowls

Beaker rather than a tea bowl. By Berangere Noyau via Farnham Art In Clay

Markus Bohm, Germany

tenpot wrote:the earliest japanese tea bowls used in the tea ceremony were apparently recycled rice bowls from Korea

The version of the story that I have heard is that the first potters in the style that we now know as Japanese were in fact potters from what is now Korea. These men were "spoils of war" brought back by Samurai to Japan and they made pottery in the style they brought with them.

The tea ceremony was not part of their culture but eating rice was very much part of their everyday life and making bowls for this purpose were their stock in trade. So when the tea ceremony developed it was rice bowls that were used and over the centuries these have be changed and adapted to give the variety we see today.

When British potters took up the idea in large numbers in the early 21st century it was not difficult to change a cereal bowl (with a limited price range) into a teabowl for which there was a collectors market and a higher price range.

Aki Moriuchi teabowl - late 1990s.

Aaron Scythe, New Zealand

Steve Booton

I'm seeing so many wonderful pieces of pottery on this thread, in contrast to
what seems to be on offer at these studio fairs.....

There is an excellent worldwide choice on Etsy

Wood fired bowls by Bridie Maddocks via Etsy

Ray Toms

Wood fired shino yunomi. By Joe Bruhin, via JoeBruhinCeramics on Etsy. Arkansas, USA

Steve Booton

Porcelain yunomi by David Wilson, Somerset at the showroom. He normally pots in stoneware.  

Yunomi with an Ash ash glaze by Anne Whittlesey, Somerset

Bridie Maddocks wood fired shino bowl

By Doug Peltzman, Dover Plains, New York. Via Clay Akar’s annual tea bowl sale a few years ago.

Micki Schloessingk

Pat Burns, USA, at The Leach Pottery a couple of years ago

Pat Burns. Current exhibition at The Leach Pottery

Thought I had an absolute find on ebay an Ursula Mommens tea bowl but arrived cracked :( shame it would have been a beauty.. Think I might look into having it repaired in kintsugi
but i dont want it to look naff...

Shigaraki style guinomi with ash glaze by Linda Unsworth, Wales (via WoodFiredCeramics on Etsy)

Nezumi (grey) shino saki cup from Japan with traditional prunus decoration  

Bill Van Gilder yunomi

Jon Black / Jonathan Blackwell, JonBlackPottery. Woking.

Nick Rees, via Muchelney Pottery. He’s now semi-retired and experimenting with different clays and glazes in his electric kiln - this is one he wouldn’t have been able to fire in Muchelney’s wood fired kiln. He still fires pots there sometimes.