I finally got my Matcha set in the mail today and I have a question about my Chawan...I know that you are not supposed to drink from the front of the Chawan I'm having a difficult time identifying the front...I bought the "Yuteki Ten Me" chawan from O-cha... Also is there anything special I should do to care for my chawan?

Really? I never heard of that before. Never heard of a Chawan having a front and back side.

Check out this blog post. Very interesting. And it never mentions anything about the "front" or "back" of a Chawan.

http://teamind.wordpress.com/2008/05/16 ... an-part-1/

I can't imagine there being a front or back to a chawan.

This is the video on youtube that explains about the front and back http://www.youtube.com/user/TheArtOfGre ... Ax2O3HlAk4

Not all pieces have an apparent front and back, etc. But those that do, usually have a striking front that is "presented" during Chado.

That's what I'd imagine. I'd imagine that the so-called "front" would be where the heavy decorations are. I have two Chawan that are fairly uniformly "unmarked" all around. Don't think there's a front to those. Why does there need to be a front?

By the way, I came across this Chawan and my gosh, it is one of the more beautiful ones (at least to my taste) that I have seen.

http://www.hibiki-an.com/product_info.p ... b5qeptqut7

And it's not so unaffordable! Can anyone tell if this might be a good Chawan?

The front is presented or passed so the front is seen by the recipient.

You would not walk backwards into a meeting, but you would walk in forward so they may see your face.

Though...depending on the situation, if I were to meet an Emperor of China, I might actually put my face on the floor and crawl in.

ok...so I'm still confused...my chawan has no easily identifiable front...does that mean doesn't have one? or are there subtle signs I should be looking for?

From my understanding, if there's a front to your chawan, you'd know. Often there's some sort of design or imagery on the "front". Perhaps some pictures of your chawan can help us figure this one out!

But I suppose to give you a black and white answer, if it appears that your chawan doesn't have a front and back, it probably doesn't.

Some chawans are plain all the way around, but like others said, the front of a chawan is usually a tiny little painting or image. If it is basically all glaze or just all clay, chances are it does not have a front.

In fact I own 4 Chawans and I do not think a single one has a front.

Sometimes the front is obvious ... Cory Lum chawan from Hawaii. Soda ash reduction fired, shino glaze.



side ...



other side ...



and back ...

The piece above would be presented with the front facing towards the intended recipient.

The artisan suggested sipping from the 3 o'clock position, but the 9 o'clock position is also ideal.

You do not drink from the front of a chawan that has an obvious front/back!

I guess for me though, if I'm not in a tea ceremony, I would drink from the front of the chawan. It's typically the more enjoyable part of the chawan in visual terms so I'd rather be admiring the bowl that I'm drinking from