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After my investigation on tea ware here, I get the impression that japanese tea ware differs a lot from chinese ones in the fact that japanese cups seem always to have straight borders, and chinese ones seem to expand in the borders, opening, like a bell…
Is there an explanation for this difference?It seems that the ‘bell’ shape facilitates transfering between cups without spilling.Then, it would indicate some difference in tea drinking culture.Or did I get the wrong impression? All oriental stores here are dominated by japanese culture and i couldn’t find a single ‘bell’ shaped cup. -
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I’ve been thinking that maybe these design variations have something to do with exportation, since ‘straight borders’ and ‘parallel lines’ would be less inclined to break in transportation.
But I suspect this may not be the whole story.Japanese don’t use such thing as a gaiwan, do they? I think I would have found some in these stores, if they did use.What I’ve seen is some sort of regular mug, with a ceramic strainer plus a ceramic lid, which I consider to deviate from the idea of the gaiwan, in which the lid is also a ‘strainer’.I don’t mean to be labeling anyone, please tell me if it sounds like so.By the way, english tea ware seems to be influenced by these forms which I identify as ‘chinese’, which reinforces my thesis on the ‘sinuous’ forms.Interestingly enough, the latin root of the word seems to be related, although I’m not an expert in etimology (“sino” – latin for chinese, “sino”, in portuguese means ‘bell’, and ‘sinuous’, full of curves, is related to ‘bell’).But maybe this is just a big coincidence! -
I know.. my statements are very generalizing, and as such, don’t deal with the irregularities of real life.
I’m just trying to get some approach of what is typical of a culture.Someone could say, as well, that “brazilian people don’t use gaiwans”, and probably could even say “brazilian people don’t even know what a gaiwan is”. I’m brazilian, and I just don’t use a gaiwan because I couldn’t get one (yet). But generally speaking, these statements are true.Culture is a tremendous force in people’s habits, which doesn’t mean everybody will behave the same. People in the north of Brazil will hardly have a meal withouth cassava flour, that doesn’t mean that all people from the north eat cassava flour and neither that if I eat it, I was born in the north. Ask someone in the south of Brazil, what is tea (chá) is, and he/she will probably answer that it is “the infusion made from Ilex paraguariensis leaves”.Well, I hope there’s no misunderstanding here. I know that stereotypes can be quite offensive. -
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Wow! So much has gone through your mind. The origin of the word sino in the Latin languages for Chinese had to do with the romanization of “chin”, as in Qin dynasty. That is a very long story; let’s discuss it another time.
You are right that ceramic does not lend its material nature to finer forms. However, that does not mean there are no fine tea ware made of ceramics. There is actually a very long tradition that is alive and prospering in very fine ceramic tea ware. I hope such topic could interest more readers so I can write more about it in tea guardian.In terms of mass produced, readily available and very affordable fine tea ware, porcelain does have a clear advantage, which you have observed.Culture and cultural behavior is a giant topic and everyone would surely have a lot of opinions nowadays. To me, what matters most in the context of this medium, is that we can all share what is good taste, good health and a better lifestyle by way of quality. I hope eventually that transcends languages, cultures, and races.I hope you find tea wares that touch your heart and fit your hand for some enjoyable tea moments. -
Leo, I read somewhere that “sino” would have originated from “Sinai” (from Mount Sinai)!
I guess ethimology can be very tricky, sometimes there are words that look or sound the same, but, for example, one has greek origin and the other is latin, and the meaning turns out to be very different! (like “sinus” meaning some cavity in body tissue…)Regarding culture… I find these differences very amusing. There’s so much to learn and perceive.I like to find the root of things, but in many cases, they turn out to be much more intertwined roots then what our thoughts could conceive.In other cases, the limits caused by isolation of groups, produce a lot of rich cultural diversity and complexity.Anyway..This is quite a fascinating topic!Designing of tea ware is such a beautiful art! -
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