A tsutsu-chawan has a deep body rising vertically from a narrow footprint, and is valued in winter thin tea because it keeps the tea hot. Where the summer hira-chawan opens out shallow, the tsutsu-chawan is deep and closed; the two form a seasonal pair.
The deep body holds temperature and transmits warmth to the hands — a courtesy specific to the cold season given physical form.
History
Cylindrical bowls are found in many places and eras, and were organised in Japanese tea as the winter form. Shino, Oribe, Raku, Hagi, and Karatsu kilns have all made them.
In practice
Used through the hearth season. The depth means the whisk cannot move as freely, so the whisking technique differs slightly from a flat bowl — one of the small ways in which the season changes the physical practice. The related hantsutsu-chawan, a half-cylinder, sits between the two extremes.
Sources
- 筒茶碗（デジタル大辞泉 / 精選版 日本国語大辞典） / コトバンク
Supports: 筒茶碗が「筒形をした底の深い茶碗」で、「熱が逃げないので、茶道では寒中に用いる」ものであること
About this article
Edited by the operator of Chaen (a one-person operation) / Last updated:
Tea ceremony descriptions can vary by school and source. Where interpretations differ, this glossary avoids definitive claims and focuses on broadly shared understandings. If you notice an error, please let us know viaContact. To learn about our organization, seeAbout Chaen.
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Related terms
- Chawan (tea bowl)chawan
The bowl in which tea is whisked and drunk — usually the most closely examined object in a gathering.
- Raku chawan (Raku tea bowl)raku chawan
Hand-formed, low-fired bowls made by the Raku family of Kyoto; the emblem of the tea Rikyu aimed at.
- Hira-chawan (flat summer bowl)hira-chawan
A shallow, wide-mouthed bowl used for thin tea in summer, letting the tea cool and suggesting coolness.
- Fuyu no dogudate (winter arrangements)fuyu no dogudate
Arrangements from the hearth-opening to the deep cold — cylindrical bowls, large kettles, warm colours — built to convey warmth.