Early Childhood (Ages 35)

Lesson Plan Bumpy, Lumpy, and Special Black Raku Tea Bowl from Japan
Black Raku Tea Bowl 3rd7th generation of Raku family, Japan, 1800s

Overview Children will learn how things that are bumpy, lumpy, and not necessarily perfect are often just as special as things that seem smooth and perfect. They will have an opportunity to make a tea bowl using the idea that imperfection is still important and beautiful (wabi sabi). Age Group Early childhood (ages 35) CMCS Visual Arts Standard 1: Observe and Learn to Comprehend Standard 2: Envision and Critique to Reflect Length of Lesson One 30-minute lesson Rationale Even at this early age, children can tend to value what is flawless and perfect over what may be imperfect but expressive and meaningful. Introducing them to the concept of wabi sabi helps expand their sense of what is beautiful and what may be considered art, opening opportunities for their own expression as they get older. Objectives Students will be able to: use at least three words to describe what they see and feel when handling objects you provide; use at least three words to describe the Black Raku Tea Bowl; say the words wabi sabi; and explain what wabi sabi means using their own words/examples.

Bumpy, Lumpy, and Special Black Raku Tea Bowl from Japan Denver Art Museum

Materials Well-worn objects that are special to the children brought in from home A bowl youve made out of clay or air-dry clay (see description below) Brown paper lunch sacks Assorted objects with different textures (e.g., cotton balls, tennis ball, baseball, doll, giant puzzle piece) to put in the brown paper lunch bags Included: About the Art sheet on Black Raku Tea Bowl One color copy of the tea bowl for every four children, or the ability to project the image onto a wall or screen. **HELPFUL HINT: Click on the 360 View button at the top of the objects page to view the tea bowl from all sides.**

Lesson 1. In advance: make a sample tea bowl out of clay or model magic. Shape the bowl with imperfections such as bumps, indentations, a bumpy rim, etc. Also, ask children to bring in their favorite, well-loved stuffed animals, blankets, etc. 2. Warm-up: Place assorted objects in lunch sacks. Have children feel the objects without looking at them and describe what they feel. (May do as a large group by calling up volunteers, or in small groups of 34 allowing students to share with a partner.) 3. Have the children show you their special objects. Talk about their objects and why they are special. Are the objects perfect? Does that make you love it less? Does having a well-loved, well-worn object makes it more special? Do things have to be perfect for us to love or enjoy them? 4. Next, take out the bowl that you made before class. Call volunteer children up one at a time to handle the bowl and describe what they feel. Call on other children in the class to tell you what they see. Tell the children that the tea bowl you made is special because its not perfectly smooth, that it reminds you of the beauty in life from things that arent perfect, just like their well-loved objects. 5. Teach them the words wabi sabi. Let them play around with saying the words. Using words appropriate for young learners, explain what that wabi sabi means something that is simplenot fancyand it also means something that gets more beautiful as it gets old and worn. Ask the students if they think the bowl and their special objects are wabi sabi. 6. Show the children the picture of the Black Raku Tea Bowl. Allow them time to look at the picture and tell a partner what they see. Ask them if the bowl is a wabi sabi bowl (shows the concept of wabi sabi) and how. What about the bowl do they think is special? 7. To end, have children go on a wabi sabi scavenger hunt around the room, pointing out objects that might be worn, bumpy, and not perfect but well loved and treasured. Share what they find.
Bumpy, Lumpy, and Special Black Raku Tea Bowl from Japan Denver Art Museum

About the Art Black Raku Tea Bowl from Japan

Black Raku Tea Bowl 3rd7th generation of Raku family, Japan, 1800s

Who Made It? Until recently, the majority of raku [RAH-koo] ware was made by generations of the Raku family in Japan. This black tea bowl was most likely made by a member of the Raku family sometime during the 1800s, between the 3rd and 7th generations of the family. Raku wares are different from other Japanese ceramics because potters form the pieces by hand rather than on a potters wheel. Each bowl the raku potter makes shows signs of his fingers and hands. Its almost as though the artist was communicating to you through the clay. After he is finished creating the shape of the bowl, the potter applies a glaze to the piece and fires it in a kiln at a low temperature. The potter who made this bowl chose a very plain glaze that is all black. There are variations in the texture; some areas of the surface are slightly rough and pitted. The craftsman must have wanted to leave out decoration and make a bowl that was modest rather than showy; quiet rather than loud. The making of raku ware was initiated by Chjir [CHO-jih-row] during Japans Momoyama period (1573-1615). Chjir was asked by the tea master Sen Riky [sen REE-kyoo] to make tea bowls for a tea ceremony. Chjir was presented with a seal bearing the Chinese character for raku. The term raku derived from the word Jurakudai, the name of a palace built by the leading warrior statesman of the time. Raku then became the name of the family that produced the ceramics. This is the only example in history of a family name becoming synonymous with the ceramics they produced. Raku is the most renowned of all tea ceremony ceramics, and the Raku family was highly respected for their skillfully crafted tea bowls and table wares. Now, many potters make raku ware. What Inspired It? The artist who made this bowl took into consideration how the bowl would be handled and viewed during a tea ceremony. Because the bowl is very plain, perhaps the artist was inspired by the idea of how attractive a bowl can be when it is very subtle. A bowl that is subtle has less obvious qualities that are very hard to notice. However, if a guest examines the bowl very carefully, he can see and feel the details. Maybe this artist wanted to challenge the people who drank from the bowl to pay very careful attention to its simpler qualities. The other thing that certainly inspired this artist was his knowledge of all the potters in the Raku family who had come before him. He was making a bowl in the same tradition as these earlier potters out of respect for their skill and design style. The tea bowl is the centerpiece of the Japanese tea ceremony. Traditionally, a tea bowl has no handles and is made to be held in both hands. It is the most active of all tea utensils as it gets passed around to all of the guests. Each guest drinks out of the bowl and examines its shape,

Black Raku Tea Bowl from Japan Denver Art Museum

color, and texture before returning it to the host. Those who make tea bowls aim at making a bowl that will engage the senses of vision and touch, and small and subtle variations are often prized. The ritual of serving tea involves a number of specific steps for the host and guests. It 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 Elmers glue) and thin tea (about the consistency and frothiness of hot chocolate). Both types of tea are prepared by whisking green tea powder with water, but the powder used to make thin tea comes from plants that are younger than those used for thick tea, and more water is used in the preparation of thin tea. When preparing for the ceremony, the host places a little mountain of powdered green tea inside a tea caddy or 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. 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. The host chooses which containers to use based on who is attending the ceremony, the level of formality, the season, the time of day, and how each container will complement other utensils used. Information about the Japanese tea ceremony can be found at: http://web-japan.org/factsheet/en/pdf/28TeaCeremony.pdf Another tea bowl in the Denver Art Museums collection can be found at: http://creativity.denverartmuseum.org/1993_289 Two examples of tea caddies in the Denver Art Museums collection can be found at: http://creativity.denverartmuseum.org/1933_5 http://creativity.denverartmuseum.org/1984_441

Things to Look For Glaze Glaze is the shiny, glass-like coating that covers the surface of the bowl. Raku bowls are traditionally covered in a glaze that is made out of pulverized stone from the Kamo River in Japan. After the glaze is applied, the bowl is fired, a process that melts the glaze and turns it into a new substanceglass. When the bowl cools, the glaze hardens, making the bowl waterproof. The bowl is removed from the fire when it is red hot and the sudden temperature change causes the glaze to turn black. Raku tea bowls are almost always covered in monochrome black or red glazes.

Black Raku Tea Bowl from Japan Denver Art Museum

Irregular Oval Mark There is a distinctive mark on what is probably the front of the bowl, which was most likely made when the bowl was removed from the fire with tongs. This small irregularity was greatly admired.

Irregular Shape The lip of the bowl is uneven and the sides are somewhat bumpy, indicating that the bowl was made by hand. This is another example of how the bowl embodies the Japanese belief that there is beauty in things that are simple and imperfect.

Black Raku Tea Bowl from Japan Denver Art Museum

Black Raku Tea Bowl, 3rd7th generation of Raku family, Japan, 1800s
Gift of Ellen and Jack Ramsay Harris, Mrs. J. Ramsay Harris, 1993.12 Photograph Denver Art Museum 2011. All Rights Reserved.