MIZUSASHI - WATER JAR

The element of water is present in the tea ceremony as embodied in the Mizusashi, or fresh water jar.

Typically an earthenware or stoneware jar, the Mizusashi is an aesthetic anchor for the tea gathering. This means that the Mizusashi is a main object in the ceremony which defines the aesthetic theme for the ritual, usually defined by the host in an act of poetic curation They might be pre-situated in the tea room prior to the ceremony, or carried in by the host or hostess during the ceremony.

Intended for carrying fresh cold water, it is usually a lidded container sometimes accompanied by a custom made lacquer lid along with its original ceramic lid. If the original container isn’t accompanied by an original ceramic lid, then a lacquer lid is used.

Contemporary Mizusashi is marked by diversity in form, and innovation in new expressions of water vessels. Coming in a wide range of shapes and sizes, our selection of 20th and 21st century Mizusashi spotlights tea traditions as a longstanding location of artistic expression and tastemaking in the history of Modern Japan.