Natsume, Sun and Moon Thin Tea Caddy

Natsume, Sun and Moon Thin Tea Caddy

1983
Maker
Mutsumi and Misako Suzuki, Japan
Country
Japan

Mutsumi and Misako Suzuki, Japan

1983

3 in x 2.875

Partial gift of Richard H. Kimball and Julie Seagraves and purchase in memory of Arthur A. Jolliffe, Mr. and Mrs. Mutsumi Suzuki, 1984.441

Photograph © Denver Art Museum 2011. All Rights Reserved.

About the Artist

This tea caddy (container) was made in Kyoto, Japan, in 1983 by Mutsumi Suzuki [mut-tsu-mee suh-ZOO-key] and his wife Misako [mee-SAH-ko]. The two work together as a team—Mutsumi does the lacquer work and Misako decorates each piece with lacquer.

Making this lacquerware piece involved many steps. Mutsumi began the process by creating a core shape out of wood. His original cores were sometimes so thin you can see through them. He then covered the wood core with a mixture of cloth, lacquer (a kind of tree sap), and a clay-like substance to create a smooth surface. Next, he applied lacquer in progressive layers. After applying each layer, he allowed the lacquer to dry, and then polished the entire piece until it had a smooth and shiny surface.

Once the lacquer work was completed, Misako decorated the object by sprinkling fine metal powder onto the surface in the shape of pine tree branches. Artists can also decorate lacquerware pieces by inserting another material into sections of the object’s surface that have been carved out, a technique called inlay. The decoration was then covered with a final layer of transparent lacquer.

What Inspired It

It seems the Suzukis wanted to make a tea container that was perfectly crafted and decorated in a way that would make it wonderful to use during the Asian New Year. As experts in making lacquerware, they were certainly driven by their own high standards to make the caddy smooth to the touch, with designs so delicate they would please anyone who used it. When making a tea caddy, artists hope to appeal to the user’s senses of sight and touch.

Tea caddies like this one are made to hold powdered green tea, called matcha [MAH-cha], and are used in Japanese tea ceremonies. Guests at a tea ceremony learn to focus their senses on the smallest details, on everything they can see, hear, feel, and taste. Doing this can clear one’s mind of distractions like the things on a to-do list or the possibility of traffic on the way home. By relaxing and paying close attention to the sounds, smells, and emotions that accompany preparing and drinking tea, the guests can feel as though they have escaped to a calmer and more peaceful place in their minds.

The ritual of serving tea involves a number of specific steps. The ceremony can last anywhere from twenty minutes to five hours and consists of two distinct stages, represented by the drinking of thick tea (about the consistency of white Elmer’s glue) and thin tea (about the consistency and frothiness of hot chocolate). This tea caddy was made to hold thin tea and was used during the second part of the ceremony. Both types of tea are prepared by whisking green tea powder with water. Powder used to make thin tea comes from plants that are younger. Thick tea is made from the leaves of more mature tea plants. Thin tea is also made with more water.

See an example of a Ceramic Tea Caddy for Thick Tea in the Denver Art Museum’s collection.

The host chooses which tea caddy to use during the ceremony based on who is attending, the level of formality, the season, the time of day, and how the caddy will complement other utensils like the tea bowl. Thin tea containers are often decorated with seasonal designs. The pine tree and the color red make this tea caddy appropriate for winter, especially for the Asian New Year.

When preparing for the ceremony, the host places a little mound of powdered green tea inside the container. Once the ceremony begins, he removes the lid of the caddy and scoops a small amount of tea powder into a tea bowl, whisking it with hot water to create a bitter green tea. Thin tea is then served to the guests in individual bowls. After the guests have finished their tea and the host has cleaned the utensils, the guests will often examine each item, noticing its color, shape, size, glaze, and texture. The utensils are handled with extreme care and reverence because they are often very valuable.

Information about the Japanese tea ceremony can be found here.

Two examples of tea bowls in the Denver Art Museum’s collection:

Black Raku Tea Bowl

Tea Bowl

Details

Pine Branches

Golden pines grow up the sides of the caddy. In Japanese and Chinese culture, the pine is a symbol of longevity, good fortune, and steadfastness because of its ability to withstand strong winds, rain, and snow, and because it stays green throughout the year. Pines can also survive in rocky areas and may live for several centuries. The pine is considered virtuous and is a symbol of winter and the New Year. Note how the pine branch crosses over from the lower body of the caddy to the lid. In Japan, this kind of continuous design from one part or side to another is often used to delight the eye.

Shape

The container narrows a little at the base and has a slightly convex top. Containers like this one are similar in shape to the jujube fruit and are called natsume [nah-tsu-me], which is the Japanese word for jujube fruit. More facts about the jujube fruit can be found here.

Shiny Surface

The container’s shiny surface is the result of many layers of polished lacquer, a material that is made from the sap of lacquer trees. The lacquer tree is a close relative of poison oak and poison ivy. Artists must gradually build up immunity to the sap so that it does not irritate their skin.

Circle

The circle on top of the container could represent the Sun and/or the Moon. The artists left this ambiguous.

Asymmetry

The circle on the top is off-center, an intentional design choice made by Matsumi. She may have chosen to place the circle closer to one edge of the lid in order to catch the attention of those who use the caddy. She might also have chosen to place the circle closer to the front end of the piece to emphasize the natural asymmetry of the container.

Golden Halo

The golden halo surrounding the circle seems to represent the glowing light emitted by the Sun or Moon. The technique used to create this very gradual change in color—from red to gold—requires a great deal of skill.

Red Sides

The golden halo fades into a brilliant red halfway down the lid. This could represent the distinction between sky (lid) and earth (sides). In Japanese art, it is common to see a continuous design that moves from one part of an object to another.

Signature

There is a signature scratched into the bottom of the caddy.

Inside

The interior of the container is black and silver, and is flecked with gold. The base of the interior is more square than the exterior.

Japan: Natsume Tea Ceremony

Japan: Natsume Tea Ceremony

More Resources

Japanese Tea Ceremony

This video discusses and demonstrates the Japanese tea ceremony.

Websites

Kyoto Journal, Tea, Publication #71, 2008

Tea today, its production and its ties to Japanese culture

Denver Art Museum, Asian Art

Denver Art Museum Asian Art Web Page

Denver Art Museum Wacky Kids

Denver Art Museum Web Page, Kids Books about Japan

Japan Fact Sheet: Tea Ceremony

Document summarizing the Japanese tea ceremony

Tea and the Japanese Tradition of Chanoyu Summary

Summary of book about the tradition of Chanoyu, including lesson plan outline and table of contents

The National Consortium for Teaching About Asia

Offers various resources for teaching about Asian cultures

Books

Sadler, A.L., Iwasaki Satoko, and Shaun McCabe. The Japanese Tea Ceremony: Cha-No-Yu. Boston: Tuttle Classics, 2008.

An exploration of one of Japan's greatest arts and details, the importance of the tea ceremony's history and traditions, its historical tea masters and its physical manifestations.

Reeve, John. Japanese Art: In Detail. London: British Museum Press, 2005.

Arranged thematically, the book includes chapters on nature and pleasure, landscape and beauty, all frames by the themes of serenity and turmoil, the two poles of Japanese culture, ancient and modern. Highlighting, close up and in color, examples of design and craft in prints, paintings and screens, metalwork, ceramics, wood, stone, and lacquer.

Mason, Penelope. History of Japanese Art. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004.

A comprehensive, extensively-illustrated, detailed overview of Japanese art -- from the Joman period (10,500 B.C.E. to 300 B.C.E.) through World War II.

Guth, Christine. Art of Edo Japan: The Artist and the City 1615-1868. New York : H.N. Abrams, 1996.

This beautifully illustrated book examines the art and artists of the Edo period, one of the great epochs in Japanese art. Together with the imperial city of Kyoto and the port cities of Osaka and Nagasaki, the splendid capital city of Edo (now Tokyo) nurtured a magnificent tradition of painting, calligraphy, printmaking, ceramics, architecture, textile work, and lacquer.

Patt, Judith, and Barry Till. Haiku: Japanese Art and Poetry. California: Pomegranate, 2010.

Haiku: Japanese Art and Poetry presents thirty-five pairs of poems and images, organized seasonally. The Introduction details the origin and development of haiku, the lives of the most famous poets.

Children’s Books

Sato, Shozo. Tea Ceremony (Asian Arts and Crafts For Creative Kids). Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 2005.

This book presents a simple, but fun way for children to learn about the traditions and practices of the Japanese tea ceremony.

Doran, Claire, and Andrew Haslam. Old Japan. CENGAGE Learning, 1995.

Practical role-play and activities, based on the lifestyles of ancient peoples, are combined with a sensitive and wide-ranging text to create a stimulating experience of Japanese history. Includes section on kendo (the way of the sword).

Harvey, Miles. Look What Came from Japan. Franklin Watts, Grolier Publishing, 1999.

This book has a fresh modern perspective on Japan from its geography, culture, currency, language, arts and more. This book is appropriate for grades 2-5.

Donegan, Patricia. Haiku (Asian Arts and Crafts For Creative Kids). Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 2003.

This book introduces five styles of haiku to readers. It includes the following projects for elementary age children: your first haiku; your favorite season; your own personal haiku; haiku with pictures; and haiku with a friend.

Funding for object education resources provided by a grant from the Morgridge Family Foundation. Additional funding provided by the William Randolph Hearst Endowment for Education Programs, and Xcel Energy Foundation. We thank our colleagues at the University of Denver Morgridge College of Education.

The images on this page are intended for classroom use only and may not be reproduced for other reasons without the permission of the Denver Art Museum. This object may not currently be on display at the museum.