FACTS ABOUT
Care Of Dogu

A. Ceramics
1, raku-
Real Raku, made by the family of Raku Kichizaemon and his 14 generations of ancestors in Kyoto and the 11 generations of Ouhi Chozaemon's family of Kanazawa is very different from the low temperature, pit-fired and dipped in all kinds of oily stuff that is called "raku" in the West.
Since the 16th century, amateur tea masters and craftsmen have made another, similar type of ceramic into teabowls, ash bowls, flower vases, incense burners, mukozuke dishes for kaiseki, etc. These ceramics are called rakuyaki in this catalog. The techniques for making them are hardly different from those used by the two "Real Raku" making families; the difference, as far as I know is the clay (not always being 3 generations old), the exact glaze formula secrets, and the generations of skill in firing.
The rakuware handled here is made with a tiny proportion of lead to make the glaze melt at the low temperatures rakuware is fired at (appro. 1000 C for black; 800 C for red; "real Raku" is fired at 1200 C and 1000C respectively).
When using a red rakuyaki bowl for koicha, be careful (before class) not to wipe the bowl with the chakin too strongly. I have seen a red rakuyaki bowl lose a whole side in the grasp of a male student! It is sometimes, falsely, said that red raku will melt in hot water; I do not think that is true but red rakuyaki are very soft.
The only danger from lead in any glaze comes with prolonged holding of an acid liquid in the utensil, which will leach out the lead. This should NEVER happen in a rakuyaki teabowl, since the matcha is not acid in nature and it is in the bowl for such a short time.
One way to help keep the bowl clean in the pores is to soak the bowl for about 5 minutes before using. I heard this directly from the present Kichizaemon15th himself. Especially in winter, if you use hot water, the bowl will not absorb the heat from the tea and even the last guest will get a drink of hot tea; too hot and the poor shokyaku can hardly drink it much less savor the flavor, so finding just the right temperature requires much experimentation. Soaking too long is a bad idea, I can say from personal experience, because the "special smell" of the clay becomes too strong.
After using a rakuyaki bowl or any utensil, it takes several days for it to dry out again. Leave the bowl right side up, in the shade, on absorbent towel or paper. The water will soak through so have something that won't be affected underneath.
If some rakuyaki mukozuke dishes for kaiseli should come into your hands, the same principles apply; soak with water before using to prevent the sauce from soaking into the ceramic. In Japan the rainy season in June brings the danger of mold developing in the pores where there is the slightest trace of organic matter or water so you really need to dry things out. Heating gently might be possible but it is dangerous for valuable works.
Needless to say, you SHOULD NOT use vinegar or citrus juice of any kind to make the sauce.
STORAGE
Once the ceramic is fully dry, store in its box. Wrapping in bubble wrap or absorbant paper is optional. It is only when transporting that you really need to worry. It is far more dangerous to wrap rakuware heavily and squeeze it into its box that leave it lightly wrapped because any blow to the box will be more directly transmitted to the bowl, causing it to be broken inside the box.

2. Kyo-yaki
Kyo-yaki is a general term for all the ceramics and styles made in Kyoto. These include a number of different wares, made all over the city and surroundings but except for rakuyaki, are mainly of a low-fired, glazed white base with elegant iron or cobalt underglaze and /or overglaze enamel designs, sometimes highlighted with gold and silver.
Because these are rather low-fired, the best course is to soak any white-based ceramic in water, both inside and especially the base, for several minutes before using it. This fills the cracks with water, preventing the tea from soaking in and making the inside ugly, as well as keeping the oils in the hand from dirtying the base.
Drying pretty much follows the example of rakuyaki. Be very careful drying with a towel because you'll abraid off the gold and sometimes even the colored enamels if you are rough or not paying attention. Then dry in shade for several days.
Mizusashi walls get pretty full of water so a longer time drying is required.
There are almost no mukozuke or flower containers made of this ware, but anyway the drying is the same.
Kogo of ceramic are made to hold the neriko, which is a moist mixture of materials including pure carbon charcoal which will leave a stain. Clean this with a damp cloth after haiken. I've never heard of soaking the bottom of the kogo since the guest would notice it during haiken.
NEW BOWLS
The way to prepare new bowls of rakuyaki or Kyoyaki, and I find it works for other wares as well, is to start the bowl in a pot of water deep enough to cover, and with a lining of towels, and to bring the bowl to a boil. Turn the heat off and allow the bowl to cool naturally. This should get the loose clay and the new smell out of the bowl.

3. Stoneware is ceramic fired at a relatively high temperature and thus is more resistant to changes of temperature and is, depending on the clay and small stones included, less likely to leak, with the exception of the unglazed Shigaraki. Stoneware has been made in Japan since prehistoric times.
Unglazed ceramics used in Tea began with Bizen and Shigaraki pieces mentioned in the Muromachi period. The other main source of unglazed tea ceramics was SouthEast Asia. Unglazed wares like Bizen and Shigaraki are always used having been soaked in water for a longer time, even overnight, and then just the bottom dried. This gives the surface a "live" and fresh feeling, but it can cause stains on wood and tatami. The ancients had more easy access to tatami than moderns and perhaps found the signs of wear aestheticly pleasing.
One trick to slow down leaking is to soak the flower vase or mizusashi upside down in a narrow container. On a tatami toko, of course for an unglazed hanaire an unfinished wood (kiji) flower board is used, itself also soaked and dried on the bottom.
Bizen ware is very homogenous and the clay is usully very dense and almost like glass. A temperature shock will crack or break Bizen, so be very careful with bowls and tokkuri, ice and hot water. I know from sad experience. Drying is therefore not a big problem.
Shigaraki on the other hand is a very rough but elastic clay which takes temperature changes well but, depending on the feldspar content, will leak and therefor needs a careful drying if it is not to sprout a moldy beard in the rainy season. One trick that really seems to workfor leaky flower vases and mizusashi is to make a thin paste of white rice boiled in lots of water for several hours. Pour the strained paste into the vessel to be "stopped up," leave for several hours if not overnight, then dump and dry. Scrubbing the bottom will remove most of what you've worked to achieve so a light wipe should suffice. Test it before using it lest the cure be proven ineffective in front of guests!
Most all other types of unglazed wares fall somewhere in between. Real namban or hannera wares from still unknown regions in SEAsia, are so appreciated because they are said to seep naturally when filled with water.

Glazed wares used for Tea really exploded in popularity during the Momoyama period, althought Seto kilns had been active making chaire and temmoku bowls since the founder returned from Song China with Dogen Zenji in 1227.
Starting in the Momoyama era with Mino kilns, which made ki-seto, kuro seto, shino, and later Oribe wares, other kilns were spurred in no small measure, if not as the direct result, of the enslavement/introduction of Korean potters to various daimyo fiefs, especially in Kyushu. From the late Momoyama into the early Edo, such kilns as Hagi, Takatori, Agano, Satsuma and Karatsu began to create beautiful glazed Tea wares based on Korean prototypes which evolved in a more Japanese direction. Many other kilns grew up during the Edo which made a huge variety of tea utensils.
Care for glazed stonewares is fairly simple, since they are high-fired and mostly covered with the glaze. A quick soak should suffice to prevent staining by tea, food or hand. Surfaces of all glazed ceramics should be dry but especially flower containers should be dried because glazed pieces should go on lacquered boards in a tatami-floored toko.
Celadon was originally a stoneware but is now also made of porcelain. Be aware of the difference, but in either case the required board on a tatami-floored toko is the formal black lacquered shin, yakazu-ita.
4. Porcelain is probably easiest to care for, since it is vitrified and glazed. Only the rims of the foot where it is probably not glazed need be of concern.
Drying, for the same reason should be enough with a towel.

B. Lacquer
"Lacquer" is the usual translation for urushi, the refined sap of the urushi tree (Rhus verniciflua), a highly poisonous irritant of the poison ivy, poison sumac family. It was probably one of the strongest organic surfaces available to the pre-modern world, as archeological excavations have found pieces 4,000 and more years old in China and recently 6,500 year old evidence in Japan. Real urushi comes from China, Korea and Japan. Another substance craftsmen today use is called "kashu" which is synthetic. Some things are made totally of plastic.
CLEANING : DRY
Even though real lacquer is fairly tough, the surface of synthetic "lacquer" is delicate when it comes to abrasives such as dust and even tissues, not to mention cleansers. Tissues are especially suspect because they are often made with recycled or rough materials and may contain dust and sand. Anyway DO NOT use tissue on lacquer, synthetic or especially plastic as it is the most delicate of all, of any kind.
The best thing to use is a piece of old silk, well washed and soft. It can be used directly to get the tea out of tea containers and then rubbed against itself and slapped a few times to get the tea powder out. It can usually be washed again and again on a delicate cycle or by hand, but be careful of runny colors.
It is also possible that a lint-free towel be used.
CLEANING : WET
Kaiseki Lacquer
Properly, after the kaiseki meal is over, the Guests are supposed to clean their bowls with the hot water and pickles like they do in Zen monasteries, and then usually wipe them with tissue or wadded and softened kaishi. The Host is going to wash them properly again anyway so Tea teachers should begin to rethink this practice to conform with present realities of softer "lacquer" surface and great investment that kaiseki kagu (full set) requires. Plastic kaiseki kagu, while cheaper, is even more delicate but still deserves to be treated with respect and care.
Traditional kaiseki utensils were of course made of urushi-lacquered wood with occasional maki-e or colored lacquer designs and the owners of such good pieces now often tell Guests not to clean the bowls. This is not just Kyoto etiquette. Please don't!
Both before and after a chaji, the kaiseki utensils will be washed.
Wash kaiseki lacquer with a very soft cloth such as an old t-shirt with the seams cut off. Soap, detergent or cleanser such be avoided in all cases, so cook accordingly.
The pieces should be double dried with pre-washed, lint-free towels and handled with white cotton gloves even during the preparation of the kaiseki to prevent fingerprints which are very evident to the Guests.
Tea Containers
Lacquered tea containers, after a few uses tend to feel sticky, because of the finger oils that accumulate on them. These can usually be washed regularly, so long as the entire surface is covered in lacquer and intact, and water does get into the pores. Do not soak but wash with a soft, fresh, lint-free soapy towel, being careful not to drop the utensil. Rinse well then dry.
Colored lacquers- Real lacquer is a dark but clear brown, to which various pigments are added to give color; the most common by far being carbon for black and cinnabar (a mercury oxide) for red/orange. Nowadays, with so much work using synthetics, more colors are available but not really popular.
What is called tamenuri, used to be black lacquer that had turned brown with age, resins coming up from the wood base, and/or exposure to heat but nowadays, it can be created (and is really more beautiful) by undercoating the utensil with cinnabar, red or yellow ocher, then covering it thickly with clear brown.
The only area to be careful of with colored lacquer is the scratching by tissue and exposure to strong sunlight which will turn even black lacquer green!

Maki-e, "sprinkled design" is really a whole constellation of techniques by which a design is created by sprinkling gold dust of various sizes on to lines and areas of wet lacquer, repeating this over and over and polishing it down. The techniques seems to have originated in Japan and even if not, it certainly reached the peak of perfection in all the world. Less expensive pieces are made by mixing gold dust with lacquer. In any case, care is required in cleaning as mentioned above, paying careful attention not to rub the design.

C. Metal and water
In Chanoyu, almost all metal is used in some connection with water: kettles, flower vases, kensui and futaoki, and sake servers. (Exceptions: hibashi, haisaji) Bronze and brass mizusashi also exist. Thus, most metal utensils are provided with a patina by their maker which protects the piece from the worst damage but with use, ths patina may become thin or dissapear and the alert Chajin must take good care of his/her utensils.

1. Iron kettles and tetsubin:
Once a kettle or tetsubin is cast, it is coated on the outside with a patina called ohaguro, "tooth-black" and the inside is coated with lacquer or some synthetic.
To "cure" a new iron kettle or tetsubin, fill it close to the brim with fresh, filtered water, especially if the water in your area is high in minerals. You'll have to have a source of such water anyway, since minerals change the taste of the tea. To this water you may add Japanese sake and/or green leaf tea, old matcha, even black tea as a last resort, and boil for several days or until the funny smell and taste goes away. You must boil the kettle for several hours at a time, replenishing it with pure water to keep the level topped up.
After this treatment be sure to do one treratment of just pure water lest you find a soup when you go to make koicha. (Yes I did this once too)
DO NOT BOIL DIRECTLY ON A GAS BURNER!!!
Rust is the oxidation of iron. Oxygen in the water vapor in the gas fire will rust the bottom of kettle just as fast, maybe faster than leaving it out in the rain. Trust me. Best case is boiling over sumi, charcoal but who has sumi to burn these days? I do not know if barbeque charcoal would be a good substitute. So if all you have is gas, put an iron plate or something in between so that the gas does not get near the kettle.
Some new kettles have a glass-like inner coating on them which is supposed to prevent rust. Nevertheless it is only a good cautionary practice to rinse and boil even these kettles once or twice before making tea in them for Guests.
Iron sake pourers, called kannabe or choshi, should be cured once before using. During the chaji, the kannabe should be heated with hot water just before the sake is poured in. When the kannabe comes back, the sake should be poured into something else and the vessel filled with hot water until needed again. After the chaji, try to dry the kannabe on sumi.
Avoid keeping kettle or kannabe near food being cooked. Any oil, or soup stock or any kind of splash will show up on the kettle's surface and "ruin" its appearance.
NEVER STORE IRON IN CLOTH OR PAPER!!! It absorbs water vapor and releases in the confines of the box, causing automatic catastrophe. No matter how it comes, unless you live in Death Valley, DO NOT STORE IRON WITH ANYTHING ABSORBENT IN THE BOX!

2. Bronze mizusashi, flower vases and kensui
Bronze is basically a copper and tin alloy but in ancient times the metals were not so purely refined and the natural trace metals are what allowed the wonderful colored patinas to develop. Nowadays, real karakane cannot be made and so substitutes are painted and patinated artifically.
All these utensils hold water for short periods of time. As soon as their need is finished they should be emptied and dried as well as possible. Since it may be impossible to get water out of tiny holes and crevases, it is a good idea to let them air for at least a day before putting them away. I have heard hot water from the kettle, poured into bronzes with complicated structures such as flower containers will help the water evaporate faster but don't really like the idea. Boiling water is no good because it will damage the finish.
Bronzes all have some kind of finish, these days usually a lightly-tinted synthetic. When drying do not rub the utensil (like kensui) too hard or the finish will be abraided away.
Bronze, brass and all this group of alloys are based on copper, which patinates and ultimately turns either a beautiful dark brown or worst-case scenario develop "Bronze disease" which is actually a bacterial infection! The bronze-eating bacteria are responsible for the beautiful greens and blues on archeological finds but they are messy, shedding flakes of patina as the colony grows. It is really inappropriate on Tea utensils, since it shows a lack of respect for the vessel. Of course if such an archaeological specimen should come into your possesion, don't scrape it off!
Futaoki may become damp from the kettle lid. A quick towel dry will suffice.

D. Bamboo
As an organic, bamboo is sensitive to heat, damp and dryness. Heat will warp bamboo things, damp will encourage mold and discoloration, and dryness will cause cracking and splitting.

1. Teascoops
Teascoops probably are the least affected, since they are never in contact with water after they are made. NEVER WASH TEASCOOPS! The silk cloth used for lacquer will also be nice to clean teascoops after being used. Sometimes tea will stick to the tip if it has touched the damp bottom of the teabowl. Usually a gentle fingernail will remove it.

2. Flower vases
Flower containers, because they hold water, need to be emptied as soon as the tea gathering is over and set somewhere upside down for a while then open side up to dry. Bamboo is a member of the grass family and therefore is absorbent vertically; water travels up and down the arteries of any bamboo tube.
Vases will mold in heat and damp, but finer examples are made with thick bamboo, aged several years. Some even then have their insides lacquered, even maki-ed! Nevertheless minimum care is required.
Bamboo vases which have copper liners are intended for ikebana, not Tea. When someone mentioned to Rikyu that his vase was leaking, he replied that that was the vase's inochi=mode of being/ life style. Another, smaller tube fit inside temporarily would probbly be ok to save your wall (or expecially if it's not your wall) from flood damage.
Actually quite a number of the ancient examples have developed splits, which have been repaired with lacquer or silver staples, adding to their aesthetic appeal but if that repair option isn't available, try to prevent it from happening at all by either keeping your bamboo in a humidified atmosphere. Or just take your chances and enjoy the cracks.
Water travels up and down the arteries of a haifuki ash tube just as easily as it does in a flower container so always take these tubes out of the tabako bon as soon as possible, or they will leave a ring on the bottom.

E. Fabric
1. fukusa
Fukusa are pieces of silk (or polyester) dogu, and although sizes do vary slightly for different schools, they are about 30 cm on a side, not quite square; a rectangle of cloth is folded on one side, which is called the "wasa" and sewn on the other three. Fukusa have the all important job of purifying the utensils and serving as the Host's equivalent of the Guests' fan.
Fukusa had been extant from Jo-o's time (1502-55) but its dimensions and the cloth used for it were fixed by Rikyu, who took the dimensions from a fukusa made by his wife, So-on, tied around a natsume full of medicine and sent to him at the Odawara battlefield (1590). The silk material, called "shioze," was created by Rikyu's disciple Shioze Soumi.
They are used to purify the utensils, specifcally the chaire, natsume and chashaku, to set important utensils on while doing haiken, and to open the kettle lid. In this capacity, it gets dirty from wiping the chashaku for haiken. The best way to deal with this is to slap it when you return to the mizuya after the chaji or chakai seki is over, to help remove the tea. Never slap the fukusa where Guests can hear it, neither in the seki or mizuya, as it is just like slapping the Guests' faces.
Another trick that works is to rub the silk with another piece of itself at right angles; this helps remove dry tea. If the tea gets wet, forget it. You've got the silk piece you need for cleaning the natsume. If the tea stays too long on the cloth also, it is impossible to remove. Dirty fukusa seen in o-keiko are a disgrace and an insult.
The dyes are not colorfast and I do not think even dry cleaning will help, but I do not really know. With proper care, a fukusa will last several years. Proper care also includes keeping the fukusa unfolded when it is not in use. It should be opened fully and kept out of the light and dust.
If this is your first new fukusa, bring it to your teacher before you try to fold it yourself, and be sure you understand the rules for folding it.
Properly a chaji requires a new fukusa; that is why you check the edges during koicha preparation. If you keep your fukusa stored open it will look ok for longer but...
The colors used on good silk fukusa are natural plant dyes which are extremely fugitive and fade quickly when exposed to sunlight. Purple is for men, red or shu (cinnabar; orange) for women- no design, for o-keiko.

2. kobukusa
Kobukusa are the smaller version (5 sun square) or 1/4 of a fukusa-sized piece of fabric called meibutsu-gire, woven usually with the designs of T'ang, Song and Ming China, or Edo Japan. Nowadays many kobukusa are made with designs and colors which are not really meibutsu-gire.
They are essential for koicha, for chabako, for kazarimono, for bon kogo, and for all the higher temae from shikaden up.
The well-prepared chajin is expected to have several, if not dozens of kobukusa for every occasion and season. In the past, chaji invitees checked with the Host to see what the mounting on the scroll was so they would not wear that same pattern on their obi or bring it in a kobukusa. It is a good idea to bring two to chaji, just in case.
Kobukusa are folded while in your kimono but whenever possible they should be spread out to rest, not just left folded and never ironed in! The fold can get to be very inconvenient in some temae if it keeps snapping shut when you want it opened.
When the Host makes tea with certain teabowls, he/she must also offer a kobukusa. They do this with a great deal of trepidation that it will come back smeared with koicha. Or course it's rude to remind the Guests not to be sloppy and to be careful of your precious kobukusa. Indeed the Host must always adopt an attitude that no matter what happens, more than any object, the Guests' feelings are paramount. What is a piece of cloth compared with that?
The Guests for their part should be extremely alert not to cause the Host any anxiety, indeed they are expected to handle the utensils even more carefully than the Host does. This attitude must also extend to the kobukusa. It is so sad to find one of your favorite kobukusa smeared with tea and thus difficult to ever use again for Guests. Once the tea is dry, you can try to rub it out with another piece of silk but usually it's too late.
The orientation of a kobukusa is also important to know. There is, like the fukusa, one folded side, called the wasa, and three which are sewn. Hold the kobukusa so that the wasa is on your right and the design is rightside-up. You can usually tell from flowers or animals which may be in the design; they should be facing the top or one of the sides of the piece, not down. If it's an even match (which is really rather rare), its up your good sense. Sometimes, kobukusa are made with leftover pieces which are impossible to orient properly. Don't buy these unless you are making a shifuku for a chaire out of them.
The kobukusa is kept in your kimono or fukusa-basami between the kaishi and the fukusa, with the wasa in front, facing up. In other words this wasa is on the left when the kobukusa is closed and on the right when it is opened.
3. shifuku
Shifuku are the stringed pouches which protect mainly chaire, but are also used on parts of the chabako, precious teabowls, and can even be found for kogo. There is no rule against having a shifuku for anything and there are collectors who have them for everything.
Shifuku are usually made from meibutsu-gire, fabrics whose designs came originally from China in the Tang, Song, and Ming periods, as well as kireji, woven fabric with Japanese designs.
Shifuku should never get wet or get tea on them.
Their main source of grief is the Guests' fingers. During haiken, Guests may finger the fabric mercilessly, causing oil smears and ultimately wear and destruction of the fabric. Nowadays, this fabric is easily available but originally the great antique fabrics of the past were used and were irreplacable. Modern Guests must start to pay stricter attention to the ettiquete of shifuku, and not handle the pouches as if they were the sleeve of a suit or dress they were thinking of buying. It is disgusting to the Host to see Guests who so little appreciate this. Perhaps it is the failure on the part of teachers to emphasize the care required for shifuku so Teachers out there, PAY ATTENTION!
Chaire usually come new with at least one shifuku; famous ancient chaire may have a dozen shifuku made for them over the centuries by various owners, in various different fabric types. Any chaire could indeed should have different types of shifuku for different occasions. It is also good study to have different ones. To misquote, "Chaire do get weary, wearing the same shabby dress..."

F. SHOMOHIN-Renewables

1. Chasen, hishaku
Chasen and hishaku are shomohin, things to be used only once for Guests then retired to the mizuya.
Hishaku are always dipped into water before being used so the cup won't fall off the kensui. They will usually last a long while in good shape but lose their pure white color upon exposure to hot water and light.
Chasen however lose their pristine curve once they are rinsed in the hot water of chasen-toshi. Therefore, even though we rinse the chasen before putting it in the teabowl for o-keiko, DO NOT RINSE A NEW CHASEN BEFORE PUTTING IT IN THE TEABOWL! You do have to wash and scrape the glue off the bottom of the handle where it was attached to the box (or it will stick to the tatami, I kid you not!) by rubbing the two wet ends of the chasen you are using together, but be sure they don't fall into the chakin-darai.
Using a chasen-naoshi will keep the chasen in nicer shape for o-keiko, but...

2. Green bamboo futaoki, haifuki
Futaoki, lid rests, for hakobi temae and haifuki for the tabako bon should be of green bamboo as part of the Host's scurrying around for the Guests, but bamboo grew everywhere in Japan, almost like a weed. Recently, green-dyed bamboo has become available but the chemicals used are considered a problem when used in chopsticks.
If you should be lucky enough to have large bamboo available, it should be used with the top surface wet, both to give a good sound when struck with the hishaku and to prevent the lid of the kettle from sticking to the futaoki by molecular attraction.
White bamboo, sometimes with the kao/ cipher of a Zen monk or Grand Master, is commonly used for futaoki instead of green. White bamboo should also be wet on the top but those with kao should not be wet overall.

3. chakin
Chakin are woven from Japanese hemp. They are also shomohin, things made to be used once for Guests then retired to the mizuya for o-keiko purposes. They are mainly for wiping the teabowl during temae and for wiping where one drank in koicha, and also for wiping the spout of the mizutsugi and the kettle during gozumi or any time you add water to the kettle. For a chaji you need at least two new ones, for koicha and usucha. As long as it's clean and still pure white, a pre-used one is ok for the mizutsugi and kettle, and for wiping the koicha bowl, but...
A new chakin has a large amount of starch in it which must be removed by vigorously crushing and rubbing the cloth with itself, in a pan of water. If you don't do this, the chakin will be sticky when you go to wipe the teabowl.
Once used, it should be scrubbbed with a bristle brush, even a toothbrush to get out the tea, as long as you do it before it dries. After that the stain will go brown and the chakin is history. I've heard chajin make their winding sheet out of their old chakin so do not just throw them away.
The cloth does not fare well in bleach. They might survive a gentle cycle in the washing machine but use no soap!