Preplanning museum visit

Teacher should visit the museum before students do to make use of the following resources:
  • images of objects: slides, transparencies, or postcards,
  • map of museum with gallery indicated,
  • museum docent or guided tour if available,
  • brochures with information about objects if available,
  • museum's Web site.


Teacher can use these resources to prepare

Students can bring to the museum

  • sketchbook/notebook and pencils (pens not allowed)
  • camera/ audio recorder

Prior ceramics experience for students is desirable, but not essential for successful completion of this project.

It is essential for teachers to become proficient in raku techniques to ensure students' safety, if raku methods are used.

The time required to finish this unit may be weather-dependent if raku methods are used, because the raku process must be performed outdoors.

Resources

Books

Brommer, Gerald. Discovering Art History. Worcester, MA,1997.
Good source of reference and research material for all of Asia and beyond.

Nigrosh, Leon. Claywork: Form and Idea in Ceramic Design. Worchester, MA, . 1975.
Contains easy to understand instructions with photos; especially good for forms and forming techniques.

Nigrosh, Leon. Low Fire. Worcester, MA, 1980.
Contains information on firing and kilns for students and teachers. Good for high school students with some ceramics experience.

Pippenburg, Robert. Raku Pottery. New York, 1976.
The classic work on raku technique and aesthetics written by a Michigan artist.

Sapirio, Mark. Clay: Handbuilding. Worcester, MA, 1979.
Basic ceramics with step-by-step directions and photos.

Simpson, P., Kitto, L., & Sodeoka, K. The Japanese Pottery Handbook. Tokyo, 1979.
Contains more than you ever wanted to know about forms. It is a great idea resource.

Tanaka, Seno. The Tea Ceremony. Tokyo, 1982.
Contains a detailed yet understandable guide to history, technique, and etiquette of Japanese tea ceremonies, written by a Japanese tea master.

Video
Cha-No-Yu: The Way of Tea. Tokyo, 1970-79? Video cassette, 16 minutes.
Demonstration of a Japanese tea ceremony. For more information, see the Japanese Cultural Service (http://www.my.emb-japan.go.jp/EN/jis/vtr.htm).

Ceramic suppliers, southeast Michigan

Runyon Ceramics
P.O. Box 287
Flint, MI 48501
(810) 789-2661

Rovin Ceramics
15333 Racho Rd.
Taylor, MI 48180
(734) 374-0010

There are several reliable, ready-made raku glazes to create effects similar to the Tea Storage Jar from Japan. Amaco and Crystalex glazes, "Brown Earth," "Nutmeg," "Oasis," "Jet Moss," and "Lava" are high iron content glazes that create effects similar to the Tea Bowl from China. Amaco Majolica Gloss glaze, "Light Green," and "Robin's Egg," opalescent glaze, "Bluebell," and "Aquamarine" are green celadon-type glazes similar to those used on the Tea Bowl from Korea.

Tea Ceremonies

International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit
111 East Kirby Street
(313) 871-8600, ext. 226
http://www.iimd.org/
Diversity Day programs with native presenters can be arranged at the Institute or off site.

Japan-America Society
Greater Detroit and Windsor
One Woodward Avenue
P.O. Box 33840
Detroit, MI 48232
(313) 596-0484
jas@detroitchamber.com
http://www.us-japan.org
The Japan-American Society has many regional chapters and may be able to arrange Japanese tea ceremony demonstrations.

Other regional resources:
Japanese Cultural Center and Tea House
Parks Division, City of Saginaw
527 Ezra Rust Drive
Saginaw, MI 48601
(989) 759-1648
http://www.saginaw-mi.com/
See link to Japanese Cultural Center and Tea House.

Fujiisawa Zen Garden
Essex, Ontario, Canada
(519) 776-4459
http://www.zenculture.com/

Teas, Tea Sweets, and Tea Wares
Asian groceries in metro Detroit area:

Chinese

Asia American Supermarket
5963 Wayne Rd
Westland, MI
(734) 728-7456

China Merchandise Corporation
31722 John R Rd
Madison Heights, MI 48071-4655
(248) 588-045
 
Korean
 
Seoul Market
23043 Beech-Daly
Southfield, MI

Japanese

Koyama Shoten
37176 Six Mile
Livonia, MI
(734) 464-1480

Noble Fish
45 E. Fourteen Mile
Clawson, MI
(248) 585-2314

One World Market
42705 Grand River
Novi, MI
(248) 374-0844

Make tea in the ancient Chinese Song Dynasty way, the same method now used in Japanese tea ceremonies. For powdered green tea, see http://www.bodyofmine.com/tea/Green_tea/Matcha/matcha.htm. For a black tea bowl, see http://www.holymtn.com/teapots/UTN-2.htm, and for a tea whisk, see http://www.cherryblossomgardens.com/adtea.asp.

Vocabulary List
click here to get a Word file of the vocabulary list.

China
Tea/Culture
cha  Tea.
Ch'an Buddhist meditative school of thought concerned with realizing true reality through contemplating the notion of "nothingness." Known as Zen in Japanese, and Soen in Korean.
Tao or Dao  Literally "the way"; Chinese philosophy of the way of the universe. Tao is the origin of all creation and the force that lies behind the functions and changes of the natural world. This approach to life focuses on living in harmony with one's surroundings.
Lu Yu Eighth century Chinese tea connoissuer who made a practice of drinking and evaluating tea and tea vessels. His book, The Book of Tea (Cha Jing), judged vessels and kilns throughout China in terms of their suitability for drinking tea.

Ceramics
celadon  Green-glazed ceramics that resemble jade in color. (See Tea Bowl from Korea.) Although celadon ware originated in China, the term "celadon" takes its name from a seventeenth-century character from French literature who wore green clothing.
Jian ware Ceramic wares from a site in the province of Fujian on the southeastern coast of China. Jian ware tea bowls featuring finely streaked iron glazes known as "hare's fur" are treasured in China and Japan. (See Tea Bowl from China.)
tao Clay.

Japan
 
Tea/Culture
 
Chojiro or Sokei (1516-92)  Kyoto potter and tile maker of Korean descent who originated raku ware. He made raku wares for tea ceremony under the guidance of the tea master Sen-no Rikkyu. His tea bowls were simple and unpretentious in design and shape, and his glazes were lead based and resembled those of the Chinese Ming dynasty (1368-1644).
cha-no-yu or chado Literally "the way of tea," referring to the tea ceremony in Japan.
Edo  The former name for Tokyo. The shogun, the military dictator of Japan, resided here during the Edo period (1615-1868).
Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-98)  Japanese general and regent who unified Japan. He was a tea aficionado and patronized the tea master Sen-no Rikkyu (see below).
Kyoto  Japanese city where the emperor traditionally resided.
matcha 

Powdered green tea.
Sen-no Rikkyu (1521-91) 

Japanese master of tea etiquette and aesthetics who served the regent Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His advocacy of rustic, domestically-produced ceramics for tea ceremonies greatly influenced the aesthetics and development of tea wares in Japan. (See Tea Storage Jar from Japan.)
shogun 

Military dictator of Japan; successive regimes of shoguns dominated Japanese rule from 1192 to 1867.
Tokkaido  literally "Eastern Sea road," a historic highway that connected Osaka and Kyoto with Edo (now Tokyo) in Japan. During the Edo period (1615-1868), Tokaido was heavily traveled by prominent military lords and samurai for their required visits to the shogun's court in Edo; also used for the annual carrying of new tea from Uji to the shogun's court, known as "the journey of the honorable tea jars."
temae  Procedure prescribed for making tea during the Japanese tea ceremony; also refers to the manner by which the tea ceremony is conducted.
Tokugawa 

Family name of the military rulers of Japan during the Edo period (1615-1868).
wabi  Aesthetic and moral philosophy advocating the enjoyment of a quiet, leisurely life and the avoidance of luxury and falsity; also a key concept in Japanese tea ceremony aesthetics.

Ceramics
Bizen ware  Unglazed high fired stoneware ceramics made in Okayama Prefecture around the town of Bizen. (See Tea Storage Jar from Japan.) Bizen vessels often feature glaze streaks from ash deposits, rope marks, and charcoal-like patches that impart a distinctive and spontaneous feel. Bizen vessels have been used in tea ceremonies since the 16th century.
gama  A general Japanese term referring to a kiln, which may be prefaced by another word to specify a particular type, for example, anagama, norigama, etc.
raku  Clay firing technique using heavily grogged bodies and manual post-firing reduction while the pots are red-hot and the glaze is molten.

Korea
 
Tea/Culture
boricha or horicha 

Roasted barley tea.
charye  Traditional offering of green tea to guests or as a tribute during ancestral or religious ceremonies.
Dado or Tado  The way of tea or Korean tea ceremony. There are nine difficulties associated with dado: preparing the leaves, distinguishing fine teas, obtaining a proper tea pot, locating good water, tending the fire while boiling water, steaming and drying the leaves, grinding the leaves to powder, brewing the tea and finally, drinking the tea properly. There are also nine benefits for drinking tea in the dado manner: clearing a tired mind, sharpened hearing, clearer sight, enhanced appetite, awakening of the mind, removing fatigue, quenching thirst, warming in winter, and easing heat in summer.
hanbok  Traditional formal Korean attire for both men and women, consisting of long skirts for women, pants for men, and short vested jackets for both men and women. Worn today for traditional holidays and important ceremonies such as the tea ceremony.

Ceramics
 
Chongja 

Korean celadon ware that reached its peak in excellence in the 12th century. (See Tea Bowl from Korea.) This ware has many varieties: plain, incised, in relief, inlaid, reverse inlaid, open work, iron-glaze designs, white slip designs, iron glazed, gold designs, and glazed with copper.
Chinsa  Underglaze copper red, found on some Korean celadon wares.
huk 

Clay.
kal 

Cutting tool or knife for clay.

General Ceramic Terms
fire  To heat clay to 600 degrees F or above to form ceramic objects.
foot 

Part of a pot that rests on a surface.
fuse  To become joined as one.
glaze  Glass-like coating used on pottery.
glost  The glaze firing.
grog 

Ground fired clay used to give clay greater resistance to thermal stress.
kiln  A high-temperature furnace for firing pottery.
oxidation  The process by which oxygen is absorbed by a material.
oxides  Compounds linking oxygen and metal.
quench  To cool quickly in water.
reduction  The process by which oxygen is removed from a material.
slip 

Liquefied clay, may be mixed with mineral colorants.
smolder  To burn without flame.
smother 

To prevent oxidation by inhibiting air supply.
vitrify  To melt and become glass-like.
wedging  Method of preparing clay and removing the air bubbles.