#wabi-cha

[sheltiechicago]

Rikyū, 1988, Kōichi Satō

In this poster for the 1989 film Rikyū (about the 16th-century tea master Sen no Rikyū), Satō creates an aura around the central motif of a bowl of tea with gradations of vibrant color. Rikyū was associated with wabi-cha, a style of tea ceremony characterized by simplicity, restraint and an austere beauty. Satō’s image of a single raku-ware tea bowl – a highly prized tea-ceremony vessel made from clay fired at a low temperature – is accompanied by a poetic text that translates as ‘beauty is unwavering’

Photograph: The Merrill C Berman Collection

[hojicha-co]

The first Raku tea bowl was created by Chōjirō, a tile craftsman, with the guidance of Sen no Rikyū. The prominent tea master was seeking a tea bowl for a style of Japanese tea ceremony emphasizing simplicity known as wabi-cha. The Raku bowl reflected the ideals of the wabi aesthetic, as it was formed by hand with an appreciation for the natural imperfections.

[teconozcomascarita]

Taian [Sen no Rikyū, 1582-3], templo Myōkian, Yamazaki, Kyoto