Exhibitions and Events

Period	January 31, 2025 (Fri) -  March 16, 2025 (Sun)
Venue	Okayama Prefectural Museum
Hours	9:30–17:00; Open on 10:00 only Janunary 31
Closed	Mondays (Excluding holidays. On those days, the Museum will be open on Monday and closed the following day)
Admissions	Adults: 450yen High/Junior High/Elementary School Students and persons under 18 and over 65: Free
Organizers	Okayama Prefectural Board of Education Okayama Prefectural Museum
Co-organizers	The Sanyo Shimbun RSK Sanyo Broadcasting Company, Ltd.
With the Support of	Okayama Broadcasting Co., Ltd. TV SETOUCHI BROADCASTING CO., LTD. Nishinippon Broadcasting co., ltd Setonaikai Broadcasting Corporation Okayama Network Inc. Okayama Prefectural Local Culture Foundation
With the Special Support of	Urasenke Konnichian, Okayama branch Rotary Club of Okayama Chuo National Center for the Promotion of Cultural Properties
Interactive Content	Produced by: National Center for the Promotion of Cultural Properties
Website	Okayama Prefectural Museum https://www.pref.okayama.jp/site/kenhaku/

　

Exhibition Highlights

Japanese culture has been carefully passed down through the world of chanoyu (The Way of Tea), as exemplified by the manners and etiquette of the tea ceremony, as well as the beauty of the utensils used therein.
Among the various utensils featured in the tea ceremony, tea bowls, which are actually touched when making and drinking tea, might be said to feel the most familiar.
Okayama Prefecture has continually served as a base for the production of ceramics deeply connected to chanoyu, including Bizen ware and Mushiage ware. For this reason, it is also a region home to many ceramic artists and fans of tea utensils. However, most fine tea utensils have unfortunately slipped away to urban areas, and there are rarely opportunities to appreciate them collectively in the prefecture.
Bringing together masterpieces from all over Japan, this exhibition introduces the history and charm of tea bowls alongside the latest findings.

Yuteki Tenmoku Bowl (Important Cultural Property)
Jian ware, Southern Song dynasty, China, 12th–13th century, Kyushu National Museum

Bowl with a Foliate Rim, Named “Bakōhan" (Important Cultural Property)
Longquan ware, China, Southern Song dynasty, 13th century, Tokyo National Museum

Interactive Digital Content

Installation view in December 2022 at Tokyo National Museum

“A Hands-On Look at Legendary Tea Bowls,” interactive content for appreciating cultural properties in new ways developed using 8K technology, can now be experienced at the Okayama Prefectural Museum.
By moving tea-bowl-shaped hands-on controllers created to look and weight the same as the original cultural properties, users can view high-resolution images on an 8K monitor from any angle. Choose your favorites from among six legendary tea bowls and enjoy touching them and turning them in your hands.

*This content was produced as part of the FY2021 Program to Promote Regional Deployment of Local Cultural Resources (Project to Create Cultural Resource Content Utilizing Advanced Technology) by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (Production Assistance: Kyushu National Museum and Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum).

You can view the originals of Yuteki Tenmoku Bowl (Important Cultural Property), Bowl with a Foliate Rim, Named “Bakōhan" (Important Cultural Property), Tea Bowl, Named “Uraku Ido" (Important Art Object), Tea Bowl, Named “Furisode (Swinging Sleeves)," and Tea Bowl, Named Amadera (Nunnery) featured in this content by visiting the special exhibition Celebrated Tea Bowls: Get in touch with the essence of Chanoyu.

Tea Bowl, Named “Uraku Ido" (Important Art Object)
Korea, Joseon dynasty, 16th century, Tokyo National Museum

Tea Bowl, Named “Furisode (Swinging Sleeves)”
Mino ware, Shino style, Azuchi-Momoyama–Edo period, 16th–17th century, Tokyo National Museum

Tea Bowl, Named “Amadera (Nunnery)”
Studio of Chōjirō; Black Raku style, Azuchi-Momoyama period, 16th century, Tokyo National Museum