The ko-natsume is a size smaller than standard, combining lightness with a certain charm. It is frequently built into portable procedures using the tea box or tea basket, and it carries its lightness well at small thin-tea sittings and in informal arrangements.
Origins
The reduction of the natsume proceeded alongside the development of portable procedures, and demand grew substantially once Gengensai's tea-box procedures were systematised. Because the lacquer and decoration are worked at a small scale, it is a size in which a lacquerer's skill shows.
In practice
Found in the tea box, the tea basket, and the travelling cabinet. Choosing a small natsume for a room procedure signals an informal register.
About this article
Edited by the operator of Chaen (a one-person operation) / Last updated:
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Related terms
- Natsume (thin-tea container)natsume
The standard lacquered container for thin tea, named after the jujube fruit it resembles.
- Chaki (tea containers, collectively)chaki
The general term for vessels holding matcha, divided into thin-tea containers and thick-tea jars.
- Usuchaki (thin-tea containers, collectively)usuchaki
The general category of containers for thin tea, of which the natsume is the representative form.
- O-natsume (large thin-tea container)o-natsume
A larger, higher-ranking natsume, used at formal thin-tea sittings and where maki-e is the point.
- Naka-natsume (medium thin-tea container)naka-natsume
The standard middle size of natsume, and the container through which the basic handling is learned.
- Yukibukiyukibuki
A thin-tea container with a wider mouth and fuller body, suited to large decorative surfaces.
- Hira-natsume (flat thin-tea container)hira-natsume
A low, flattened natsume used to build cool-feeling arrangements for summer thin tea.