Description
Tea Bowl, Matcha Chawan, for Children's Day, by Yuko Sato, Nama-Ya Ceramics, San Francisco, CA. This adorable Matcha Chawan shows four koinobori (carp streamers) flying high among two clouds in wax-resist of a white glaze with iron spots. H. 2.875"(7.25cm) x Dia. 4.375"(11cm). Weight 241 grams. The small size, light weight, and playful decoration make it for for children to use. My own son used one of Yuko's bowls like this from the time he was old enough to drink matcha well into young adulthood.
Yuko Sato studied pottery while at art college in Tokyo, prior to moving to San Francisco in 1996. She continues to make functional ceramics used on home and restaurant tables in the Bay Area.
The koinobori is a symbol of Children's Day in Japan, representing the spirit of perseverance as carp swim upstream, overcoming adversity to return to their spawning grounds. Formerly Boy's Day, the holiday of Tango no Sekku goes back to the 700's and is held each year on May 5th (double '5'), originally as an event to protect boys from harm and to honor masculine warrior virtues. (Girl's Day, March 3rd [double '3'] was Momo no Sekku [the Peach Festival]). The holiday was changed to Children's Day in 1948, to honor both genders. Traditionally, the carp flying above one's home indicated the number of boys in the household, the eldest designated by a red koinobori, and others by various colors. Now, the koinobori typically indicate all of the members of the household with the father represented with a black carp, the mother with red, and both male and female children in various colors (often blue for boys and red for girls). Especially in the countryside where large farm houses still stand, the sight of large koinobori filling the skies above each house is so exhilarating to see!