List of Japanese Tea Ceremony Equipment - Tea Containers

Tea Containers

Main article: Chaki (茶器)

This category refers to the small lidded caddies that are used to hold the powdered green tea (matcha) for the tea-making procedure (temae) in chanoyu. The term chaki literally translates as "tea implement," but in the vocabulary of chanoyu it usually implies the small lidded caddies that are used to hold the matcha for the tea-making procedure for usucha (thin tea). All tea containers for usucha may be called usucha-ki. Usucha-ki usually are of lacquered or plain wood, although not necessarily so. Commonly they are of a variety of shape called natsume, and so all usucha-ki tend to be loosely referred to as natsume. Natsume and other forms of usucha-ki are classified by size or shape.

The ceramic caddies usually used to hold the powdered green tea for the procedure to make koicha (thick tea) are basically referred to as chaire (茶入; lit., "tea container"). They may also be referred to as koicha-ki. Chaire are classified according to country of origin: China (karamono), Japan (wamono), or "island-make" (shimamono). The wamono ones are classified by potter, region, or kiln. All are also classified according to shape.