TeaForum.org

we don't have a thread for them here yet I don't believe? got some nice ones to show? post 'em here!

I've been having a look around for some chataku lately because not only are they nice to look at but I they seem handy for some changes in my brewing style I've been messing with. for those of us who aren't drinking much Japanese tea or doing a traditional ceremony it seems like another piece of tea ware that has come out of one very specific tea culture and blend over into the big general mix as something both useful and aesthetic.

it seems like most modern ones tend to be wood/lacquerware and as well as there being a lot of rattan styles (though maybe these tend more to be Chinese?), but that mostly it tend to be older ones and/or maybe mass manufactured imitations that are copper or other metal. anyone know of any artists who are currently making chataku by hand still as a specialty?

@wave_code, great idea!

I acquired 3 sets of antique chataku from a local Taiwanese friend. I kept telling him they were saucers and he adamantly told me they were not. This, despite being a huge tea drinker and one of my teachers. He remembered them as a little child and said they held small candies. His family put them on a table almost out of arm’s reach but he would stretch to get a little pastille. He in his early 60s now. I really don’t have an idea how old they are.

They are very heavy and sized for a gyokuro cup. They did not come with a tomobako, as you might imagine. They are not the thin, cheaply made, plated chataku antiques I’ve seen. They were never intended for to be plated.

All are made from tin with three motifs on each set: sakura, phoenixes, and butterflies.

The phoenixes and butterflies have the same chop.

Three motifs:
Sakura chop
Phoenixes and butterflies have the same chop:
Butterflies detail:
Phoenixes detail 1:
Phoenixes detail 2:
Sakura detail:

very nice looking @Baisao! I like the light and hammered look I've seen of a lot of the probably older copper or tin ones but these are very nice. I especially like the sakura shape and how detailed even the bottom is.

some very nice chataku show up in these videos from Knjitea- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKR1yf ... uq95qG23xg
tea reviews and videos of people drinking and talking about tea don't really interest me at all, but these make for a nice relaxing zone-out.