Hissen-gata Chawan – The bowl of the flowing brush
The Hissen-gata chawan is a tribute to movement. "Hissen" (筆線) literally means "brushstroke"—and that's exactly what this bowl looks like: formed from a single fluid, rhythmic stroke. It symboli...
Momo-gata Chawan – The peach-shaped bowl
The Momo-gata chawan is a vessel full of softness, grace, and subtle symbolism. "Momo" (桃) means "peach," and thus the shape of this bowl reflects the soft, rounded lines of a ripe peach fruit—a sy...
Suhama-gata Chawan – The bowl like a coastline
The Suhama-gata chawan is a poetic vessel. In Japanese landscape design, "Suhama" (州浜) refers to an artificially created coastline—with a flat, curved shoreline and changing contours. This idea has...
Amikasa Chawan – The bowl like a net of light
The Amikasa chawan is a modern poetic statement within the traditional world of chawan. Its name "Amikasa" (編笠) literally means "woven hat," referring to the shape of traditional Japanese sun hats...
Zōkō-gata Chawan – The sublime form of hospitality
The Zōkō-gata chawan is one of the most dignified appearances among matcha bowls. The name "Zōkō" (蔵高) can be interpreted as "towering storage" or "sublime volume," with "zō" also suggesting colle...
Dojimari-gata Chawan – The bowl of collection and concentration
The Dojimari-gata chawan is like a silent inward movement. Its strikingly narrowed rim encloses the tea, almost protectively—an architectural symbol of seclusion and concentration. "Dojimari" (胴締まり...
Hira-gata Chawan – The flat summer tea form
The Hira-gata chawan is one of the clearest, most open, and yet most elegant bowl shapes in the Japanese tea ceremony. Its name is a combination of "Hira" (平), meaning "flat" or "even," and "gata"...
Komogai-gata Chawan – Delicate grandeur in feminine form
The Komogai-gata chawan is often described as the "feminine" of matcha bowls. Its name is a combination of "komogai" (小最) – an older euphemism for delicate, noble things – and "gata" (形), meaning ...
Tsutsu-gata Chawan – The elegant top hat
The Tsutsu-gata chawan is the form of concentration. Its tall, cylindrical structure lends it a certain austerity, a concentrating dignity. "Tsutsu" (筒) means tube or cylinder – a term that refers...
Sugi-nari Chawan – The fountain shape with depth and silence
At a time when many forms of Japanese tea culture are associated with precision and refinement, the Sugi-nari chawan appears almost raw, primal—and therein lies its power. Also known as the "founta...
Goki-gata Chawan – The compact Wu-style bowl for dense Matcha
The Goki-gata chawan is of rare compactness. It appears almost squat, with a slightly indented opening and a sturdy body—a shape that demonstrates its strengths particularly in the preparation of ...
Han tsutsu-gata Chawan – The semi-cylindrical bowl between form and openness
The Han tsutsu-gata chawan is a hybrid of two worlds. Neither completely cylindrical nor completely open, it combines elements of the tsutsu-gata (cylindrical shape) with the accessibility of round...