The Charm and History of the Pinnacle of Tea Bowls: The 'Ido Tea Bowl' Part 1 / The World of Tea Ceramics 6
In Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu), the tea bowl can be considered the protagonist of the tea gathering.
From the medieval to the early modern period, a wide variety of ceramic tea bowls were created, each harboring its own unique history and aesthetic consciousness.
In this series, we will comprehensively discuss representative types of tea ceramics, from their origins and historical backgrounds to their forms, techniques, characteristics, aesthetic values, and relationships with tea masters.
This time, we will explain the charm of the 'Ido tea bowl,' the king of Goryeo tea bowls, in two parts: Part 1 and Part 2.
What is an Ido tea bowl?
The Ido tea bowl was originally a common, everyday tea bowl fired on the Korean Peninsula during the early Joseon Dynasty (around the 16th century) that was repurposed in Japan as a tool for the tea ceremony.
Although it was a simple piece of pottery used as tableware or ritual vessels in Korea, when it was introduced to Japan at the end of the Muromachi period, its unadorned, simple beauty was loved by tea masters and cherished as a tea bowl that suited the philosophy of wabi-cha.
In the world of tea ceremony, it is said that 'First is Ido, second is Raku, third is Karatsu' (Ido tea bowls are first, Raku ware is second, and Karatsu ware is third), and Ido tea bowls were held in higher regard than other tea bowls.
In the 'Yamanoue Soji Ki' (1588), written by Sen no Rikyu's disciple Yamanoue Soji, it is stated, 'The Ido tea bowl is the greatest Goryeo tea bowl under heaven,' showing that it already occupied the throne of Goryeo tea bowls (Korean tea bowls) at that time.
Today, among the eight national treasure tea bowls, the 'Oido Tea Bowl, named Kizaemon' is the only one of Korean origin designated as a national treasure, and the Ido tea bowl is known as a masterpiece indispensable to the history of the tea ceremony.
The Sculptural Beauty and Characteristics of the Ido Tea Bowl: National Treasure Oido Tea Bowl, Kizaemon
This work is the national treasure Oido tea bowl 'Kizaemon'.
A pale loquat-colored glaze is applied to the coarse clay body, and fine crackles run throughout.
The vessel shape is morning-glory-shaped, opening toward the rim, and the foot is powerfully carved in the shape of a bamboo node, with white, dry kairagi (plum blossom skin) floating around it.
These are all typical characteristics of Ido tea bowls and are elements that appear prominently in the large 'Oido tea bowls'.
The aesthetic characteristics of Ido tea bowls are listed below.
Loquat-colored glaze and crackles: The glaze of an Ido tea bowl is a pale loquat color (light yellowish-brown) and blends into the coarse clay of the body with a sense of transparency.
The feldspathic transparent glaze fired at a high temperature shrinks in places, creating cracks (crackles) and producing complex patterns (scenery).
These fine crackles and unevenness in the glaze absorb tea stains over time, taking on a unique texture and deepening the wabi-sabi aesthetic.
The parts where the glaze does not adhere to the body and instead shrinks and peels off are called 'kairagi,' and a white, powdery texture appears near the foot.
Originally an accidental firing effect, tea masters loved this kairagi as scenery.
The appearance of kairagi blooming on a loquat-colored glaze can be said to be a refined scenery unique to Ido tea bowls.Vessel shape and potter's wheel marks: Ido tea bowls have an open bowl shape that opens widely toward the rim.
When viewed from the side, it spreads out like a mortar in the shape of a morning glory flower, and the interior (the bottom inside) is deeply carved.
From the body to the waist, 3 to 5 levels of potter's wheel marks, which are finger marks from the wheel forming process, remain, and these spiral lines are one of the conventions of Ido tea bowls.
The remaining wheel marks allow one to feel the dynamism of handmade work, giving it strength even amidst its simplicity.
In Oido bowls, the wheel marks remain particularly thick and clear, creating a bold step at the waist that serves as scenery.Shape of the foot: The foot (the ring-shaped base of the bottom) of an Ido tea bowl has a unique shape called a 'bamboo node foot'.
The side of the high, sturdy foot has node-like bumps, making it a powerful design that looks just like a bamboo node.
Inside the foot, the spiral marks of the potter's wheel remain, and some also show a mound-like raised mark in the center called a 'tokin'.
This tokin is said to be the attachment mark of the clay used as a support when stacking adjacent tea bowls in the kiln, and it has become one of the sceneries inside the foot.
Pieces where the glaze covers the entire foot without showing the clay are considered superior, and examples where the shrunken kairagi of the glaze appears densely inside and outside the foot are appreciated as a condition of famous Ido bowls.
For example, the Important Cultural Property 'Ido Tea Bowl, named Hosokawa,' is described as having perfect conditions for an Ido tea bowl, with vivid kairagi appearing inside and outside the high-carved bamboo node foot, despite its small size.
As described, Ido tea bowls are said to have seven conventions, such as 'loquat-colored skin,' 'fine crackles,' 'bamboo node-shaped foot,' 'kairagi around the foot,' and 'wheel marks on the body.'
The charm of the sculptural beauty of Ido tea bowls lies in the harmony between the simple, stable form and the glaze of a refined color tone, creating a dignified and calm style.
Types of Ido Tea Bowls (Oido, Koido, Aoido, Yamase Ido)
Ido tea bowls are classified into several types by tea masters based on their size and texture.
Major classifications include 'Oido,' 'Koido (Old Ido),' and 'Aoido,' and similar items that do not meet these criteria are called 'Idowaki'.
Furthermore, in addition to Ido tea bowls imported from Korea, there are also Ido-style tea bowls fired in Japan by Korean potters, and those made in the Yamase area of Karatsu in Hizen Province are specifically called 'Yamase Ido'.
The characteristics of each type are explained below.
Oido (Large Ido): This refers to those that are particularly large among Ido tea bowls, with a diameter reaching 15 cm or more.
The shape is large and imposing, and it is considered the highest grade among tea bowls.
Many famous tea bowls are classified as Oido, and in practice, 'Ido tea bowl' refers to Oido.
It features a grand and varied scenery, such as a gradient where scarlet (reddish) tints appear here and there on the loquat-colored glaze, irregular crackle patterns on the interior, and white glaze dripping from the rim on the outside.
The foot is thick and large, and there are examples where magnificent kairagi appears on the periphery and inside, revealing the coarse, reddish-brown clay.
Oido is positioned as the 'best tea bowl' in the world of wabi-cha, and because of its style, it was also loved by warlords of the Momoyama period.
Koido (Small Ido): These are Ido tea bowls that have a similar appearance to Oido but are one size smaller.
They refer to those with a diameter of about 12–14 cm and are also called 'Furuido (Old Ido)'.
They have a shallower bowl shape than Oido and a somewhat modest taste, but they possess the characteristics of Ido tea bowls such as wheel marks and kairagi.
Some Koido bowls have 'me-ato' (traces of stacking other bowls fired at the same time) peculiar to Goryeo tea bowls on the foot, which are cherished as scenery.
There are few Koido bowls and famous ones are limited, but there are excellent pieces that have a charm that is not inferior to Oido.
Aoido (Blue Ido): Ido tea bowls with a bluish tint in the glaze are specifically called 'Aoido'.
They exhibit a glaze color ranging from a very pale blue-gray to a pale yellowish-green, giving a cool impression.
The name Aoido originally comes from the bluish glaze, but in reality, bowls with a more open and shallow shape are sometimes called Aoido, so the strict definition is somewhat ambiguous.
There are examples in museum collections that are classified as Aoido even though the glaze color is not very blue, so the name is for convenience.
Generally, Aoido has a lighter style compared to Oido, and it is also characterized by a simple design with a 'twist' added to one part of the rim as an accent.
There are excellent pieces among Aoido, and they have been cherished by tea masters as a variation of the Ido tea bowl.
Yamase Ido: This is a name for Ido-style tea bowls fired in kilns opened by Korean potters who were brought to or immigrated to Japan during the Bunroku-Keicho campaigns (late 16th century) in the Yamase area of Karatsu, Hizen Province (present-day Saga Prefecture).
Yamase is a land blessed with high-quality pottery clay, and it is said that Korean potters produced tea bowls similar to Ido tea bowls.
Therefore, Ido-style tea bowls produced in Yamase are specifically called 'Yamase Ido' and are sometimes distinguished from Ido tea bowls of Korean origin.
Yamase Ido varies, with some having a whitish body and others having a blackish tint, which is a different tendency from the loquat-colored clay of the original Ido.
It is also said that many are thin, have inconspicuous wheel marks, and are shallow, flat bowl shapes with little kairagi.
At first glance, they differ in taste from Ido tea bowls, but they possess an Ido-like style overall and have been positioned since ancient times as 'Ido no waki' (side of Ido), that is, as derivative products that do not reach the level of the original Ido.
There are documents that consider Yamase Ido to be inferior goods compared to Aoido, and while it is a variation of the Ido tea bowl, it is treated as Idowaki (= derivative).
However, recent surveys point out that the place name 'Semigol' in the pottery production area of the southern Korean Peninsula (such as Hadong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do) itself means 'Ido,' and there are still unexplained parts regarding the production area and lineage of Ido tea bowls.
In the second part,we will introduce the historical background of Ido tea bowls and famous bowls.
References
1. Fujita Art Museum, "O-Ido Tea Bowl, Named 'Kozan'" Exhibition Commentary (2023)
2. Ishikawa Prefectural Board of Education, "Ceramic Tea Bowl, Named 'Tsutsuizutsu'" Commentary in 'Cultural Properties of Ishikawa' (2016)
3. Ebara Hatakeyama Memorial Museum of Fine Art, "Ido Tea Bowl, Named 'Hosokawa'" Collection Commentary (2022)
4. Yoshiaki Yabe, "Ido Tea Bowl," 'Encyclopedia Nipponica,' Shogakukan
5. Geihinkan Antique Glossary, "What is an Ido Tea Bowl?" (Geihinkan Website)
6. Antique shop Chano-yu, “Japan’s national treasure: Korean ido pottery tea bowl KIZAEMON IDO”(Blog article, 2015)
7. Wikipedia Japanese Version, "Ido Tea Bowl" Article (Last updated 2023) (*Refers to various primary sources)