Tenmoku

Tenmoku (天目, also spelled "temmoku" and "temoku") is a type of glaze that originates in imitating Chinese Jian ware (建盏) of the southern Song dynasty (1127–1279),^[1] original examples of which are also called tenmoku in Japan.

Jian ware tea bowl shapes are conical in form with a slight indent below the rim. They are about 4–5 inches (10–13 cm) in height.^[2] The emphasis is on the ceramic glaze, where a number of distinct effects can be produced, some including an element of randomness that has a philosophical appeal to the Japanese. The tea-masters who developed the Japanese tea ceremony promoted the aesthetic underlying tenmoku pottery.