Dish with Varied Scrolling Flowers:

Kaolin: A fine, usually white clay formed when the mineral feldspar breaks down.

Kiln: A workshop where porcelain is fired in furnaces made of heat-resistant bricks.

Petuntse: A type of mineral called feldspar, found only in China, made mostly of potassium, sodium, and calcium.

Porcelain: A hard clay material that when fired becomes very strong and resistant to breakage, but delicate and translucent looking. Porcelain wares have been greatly appreciated in China since the tenth century.

Vitrify: To melt together when fired at high temperatures and become indistinguishable from one another. For example, kaolin and petuntse form a nonporous, natural glass-like material called porcelain.

Money Tree:

Taoism: A philosophy explaining the Tao (pronounced Dao, literally meaning the Way) as the origin of all creation and the force that lies behind the functions and changes of the natural world. This spiritual approach to life focuses on living in harmony with the Tao.

Yin and Yang: Han dynasty philosophers explained that the universe is run by a single principle, the Tao, which is composed of two opposite principles: Yin, encompassing femaleness, the moon, completion, cold, darkness, earth, submission; and Yang, representing maleness, the sun, creation, heat, light, heaven, and dominance.

Head of a Lion:

Bodhisattva: An enlightened or spiritually "awakened being" in the Buddhist religion destined to become a Buddha (one who has reached enlightenment) who postpones reaching nirvana — a state of supreme peace — to help others reach enlightenment.

Buddhist/Buddha: An enlightened or spiritually "awakened being" who has entered into nirvana or a state of supreme peace. Sakyamuni, the first Buddha, was born a wealthy prince in India in 563 BCE. He gave up riches and royalty to discover a way to overcome the endless cycles of rebirth and suffering and eventually become one with creation. He taught that enlightenment can be reached through meditation and acts of kindness, by avoiding extremes, and calming the mind. After Buddha's death, his philosophy was transformed into a religion reaching China from India by the first century.

Realism: Fidelity to nature or to real life; representation without idealization.

Jian Ware Tea Bowl:

Temmoku: Temmoku is the Japanese name for a type of Chinese ceramics called Jian ware. It is named for Mount Tianmu in China, the site of Buddhist monasteries where traveling Japanese monks stayed, which is not far from the Jian ware kilns. 


Korea

Confucian/Confucius: Confucian refers to the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius (born during the Zhou Dynasty in 551 BCE). He taught a way of living, or a social and ethical philosophy, that became the standard in China during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE). The main principles of Confucianism are based on the idea that people are inherently good. The ideal of a good society and harmonious human relations cannot be forced but will emerge from the government's virtue and moral example. 


Japan

Shogun: Shoguns were military dictators who controlled Japan through much of its history. An abbreviation of the term seii tai shogun, which means "barbarian-subduing generalissimo," the title of shogun was in theory bestowed by the emperor, who in fact was often a figurehead controlled by powerful military figures. 

Cambodia

Garuda Sculpture:

Hindu/Hinduism: Hinduism originated in India about three thousand years ago. Followers of the many forms of Hinduism believe in a final, eternal reality known as Brahman. Each Hindu god or goddess possesses characteristics and powers that represent aspects of the divine principle. According to this ultimate truth, the soul is trapped in a cycle of life, death, and rebirth until it achieves enlightenment and is reunited with the universal soul. Karma, or the consequences of past actions, keeps the soul in cycle. There are thousands of Hindu deities, but Vishnu the Preserver, Shiva the Destroyer, and the Great Goddess Devi are especially revered. The religion focuses on the relationship among the universe, god, and humanity.