of the greatest artists was eagerly bought by Chinese royalty and intellectuals.
Japan in Isolationâ
Seventeenth and Early Eighteenth Centuries
Japan, under Shogun rule, became increasingly isolated during the first part of the seventeenth century. By 1630, the British had abandoned their trading post at Hirado, and with it, attempts at trading with the Japanese. By the middle of the century, all foreigners had been asked to leave, and no foreign trade was permitted. Japan, isolated from the West, continued to develop a culture as sophisticated as any in the world.
This period of polished civilization was not to last, however, for during the eighteenth century, famine and civil unrest brought great difficulties to Japan. In spite of repeated efforts by the Russians, Dutch, and English, Japan remained closed to foreigners until 1854, when Commodore Perry arrived and negotiated with Japan to open trade relations with the United States, resulting in the Treaty of Kanagawa. This was quickly followed by treaties with Great Britain, Russia, and Holland.
Yixing Pots
The three main centers for making tea ware in China during the Ming dynasty were Dehua, Jingdezhen, and Yixing. The most popular and still the most famous of all teapots were made from a clay that the Chinese call zisha , a purple clay that was found in the area around Yixing, located about 120 miles northwest of Shanghai.
Clay from the Yixing region had been used to make pots since the Song dynasty, but it was only in the Ming period, when the teapot came into favor, that these pots attained their greatest fame.
Though called âpurple,â the clay occurred naturally in three different colorsâlight cream, red, and a purplish brown; the higher the concentration of iron, the deeper the color. Other colors and shades were created by mixing these three colors of clay or adding other pigments such as cobalt oxide or magnesium oxide.
Potters dug the clay, dried it, pounded it into a powder, and passed it through a bamboo sieve to remove pebbles and stones. The sifted powder was then placed in a 1 . 5 -meter (five feet) deep pool filled with fresh water. After three days, the mud was removed and dried in the sun, then cut into blocks. Artists then pounded the blocks with wooden mallets and added more water to make a moldable clay from which the pots were formed.
The pots made from this clay remained porous and absorbed the flavor and fragrance of the tea, so that the vessel itself actually contributed to the taste of a cup of tea. So much of the essence was absorbed by the pots that it became customary to use only one type of tea with a particular pot, so as not to mix and confuse the flavors. Tea connoisseurs of the Ming period claimed that if one used the same pot daily, and used it for only one type of tea, that after many years, the pot would have absorbed so much flavor that one wouldnât even need to add tea anymoreâ just hot water!
A popular myth tells about a nobleman who loved both tea and the vessels in which it was brewed. He spent much of his time and fortune collecting the finest tea ware and tea leaves available. One day a beggar arrived at his doorstep and said to the nobleman, âI have heard that you collect the finest teas and tea ware in the world. May I share a cup of tea with you?â
The nobleman was surprised, since the beggar did not look like someone who would be able to appreciate the intricacies and delicacies of fine tea, but not wanting to appear rude, he agreed and asked that one of his best teas be brewed in one of his finest teapots. The beggar took a few sips, then looked disappointed and said to the nobleman, âThe tea is fine, but it may be that the teapot is simply too new to bring out the fullest flavor of the tea. A teapot of several decades must be used to be worthy of this tea.â
And then the beggar pulled out his only possession, a fine, well-used Yixing teapot. The story ends with a
Japan in Isolationâ
Seventeenth and Early Eighteenth Centuries
Japan, under Shogun rule, became increasingly isolated during the first part of the seventeenth century. By 1630, the British had abandoned their trading post at Hirado, and with it, attempts at trading with the Japanese. By the middle of the century, all foreigners had been asked to leave, and no foreign trade was permitted. Japan, isolated from the West, continued to develop a culture as sophisticated as any in the world.
This period of polished civilization was not to last, however, for during the eighteenth century, famine and civil unrest brought great difficulties to Japan. In spite of repeated efforts by the Russians, Dutch, and English, Japan remained closed to foreigners until 1854, when Commodore Perry arrived and negotiated with Japan to open trade relations with the United States, resulting in the Treaty of Kanagawa. This was quickly followed by treaties with Great Britain, Russia, and Holland.
Yixing Pots
The three main centers for making tea ware in China during the Ming dynasty were Dehua, Jingdezhen, and Yixing. The most popular and still the most famous of all teapots were made from a clay that the Chinese call zisha , a purple clay that was found in the area around Yixing, located about 120 miles northwest of Shanghai.
Clay from the Yixing region had been used to make pots since the Song dynasty, but it was only in the Ming period, when the teapot came into favor, that these pots attained their greatest fame.
Though called âpurple,â the clay occurred naturally in three different colorsâlight cream, red, and a purplish brown; the higher the concentration of iron, the deeper the color. Other colors and shades were created by mixing these three colors of clay or adding other pigments such as cobalt oxide or magnesium oxide.
Potters dug the clay, dried it, pounded it into a powder, and passed it through a bamboo sieve to remove pebbles and stones. The sifted powder was then placed in a 1 . 5 -meter (five feet) deep pool filled with fresh water. After three days, the mud was removed and dried in the sun, then cut into blocks. Artists then pounded the blocks with wooden mallets and added more water to make a moldable clay from which the pots were formed.
The pots made from this clay remained porous and absorbed the flavor and fragrance of the tea, so that the vessel itself actually contributed to the taste of a cup of tea. So much of the essence was absorbed by the pots that it became customary to use only one type of tea with a particular pot, so as not to mix and confuse the flavors. Tea connoisseurs of the Ming period claimed that if one used the same pot daily, and used it for only one type of tea, that after many years, the pot would have absorbed so much flavor that one wouldnât even need to add tea anymoreâ just hot water!
A popular myth tells about a nobleman who loved both tea and the vessels in which it was brewed. He spent much of his time and fortune collecting the finest tea ware and tea leaves available. One day a beggar arrived at his doorstep and said to the nobleman, âI have heard that you collect the finest teas and tea ware in the world. May I share a cup of tea with you?â
The nobleman was surprised, since the beggar did not look like someone who would be able to appreciate the intricacies and delicacies of fine tea, but not wanting to appear rude, he agreed and asked that one of his best teas be brewed in one of his finest teapots. The beggar took a few sips, then looked disappointed and said to the nobleman, âThe tea is fine, but it may be that the teapot is simply too new to bring out the fullest flavor of the tea. A teapot of several decades must be used to be worthy of this tea.â
And then the beggar pulled out his only possession, a fine, well-used Yixing teapot. The story ends with a
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