6 Things You Should Know About Japanese Rice Bowls

by David McElhinney | CRAFT

The importance of rice to Japanese culture cannot be overstated. It is harvested across the country in lowland pastures, on terraced paddies and on steep-sided cliff faces where scant else grows. This is because – quite naturally – Japanese people love to eat rice: with raw fish, as an accompaniment to ramen, as the base for a beef bowl, mixed with raw egg, in onigiri snacks, as a staple of the traditional breakfast fare, in teishoku sets, to soak up sake, to mop up curry sauce…

With rice being so integral to the national diet, and for so long, a plethora of receptacles have been created from which to eat the nation’s favorite carbohydrate. Rice bowls are par-excellence Japanese craftsmanship at its most utilitarian: bowls burnished with lacquer, bowls of wabi sabi-esque cracked ceramic, bowls shaped like Mt. Fuji, and bowls decorated in Oriental motifs. Perhaps only in Japan could something so ostensibly simplistic, have such depth and complexity.

So, if that has whet your appetite for everything you need to know about Japanese rice bowls, read on!

1. What are Japanese Rice Bowls?

© Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Rice Bowls

Rice bowls, or ochawan, are exactly what they’re English name implies: bowls from which to eat rice. The Japanese term (お茶碗), however, refers to a bowl from which one consumes tea, as this is how they were previously used.

Rice bowls are made from a variety of materials, from porcelain to camphor, and bear the stylistic preferences of their individual creators. But whilst they come in many different styles, often dictated by the region in Japan in which they’re made, they do have some defining characteristics.

© City of Niigata, Grilled Nodoguro Bowl

Usually Japanese rice bowls are not much wider than the width of an average palm, enabling eaters to pick them up with one hand while the other clasps a pair of chopsticks. The height too will vary, though usually a rice bowl will be around two-to-three inches tall (5-8 cm) – a relatively shallow height to facilitate scooping out the rice.

Rice bowls are, of course, ubiquitous in Japan today, so it’s hard to imagine there was once a time when they were yet to exist.

2. History of Japanese Rice Bowls

Tales of Filial Piety by Chikanobu Yoshu, 1890

Ritualistic tea drinking was introduced to Japan during the Kamakura Period (1185 – 1333) by way of Chinese monks – though it would start evolving into its current form much later, through the spiritual tea advocate Sen No Rikyu who lived and died in the 16th century. Part of the ritual involves drinking tea from a bowl, or ochawan, while focusing on the form and flow of one’s movements. If you’re interested in the tea ceremony, check out these 19 Essential Japanese Tea Ceremony Utensils.

Then in the Edo period (1603 – 1868), a time of artisanal and cultural revolutions, porcelain bowls began to proliferate in such numbers that they made their way into more prosaic, day-to-day use: as rice bowls. This subsequently led to coinage of the terms, meshijawan and the shortened meshiwan, both meaning rice bowl with lid.

During this time, rice bowls wouldn’t be found in every home, especially not ones made from porcelain. Rather they would have been the preserve of those who could afford it: the Shogunate, the Imperial court, high-ranking samurai, and the social elite.

Many rice bowls from the era have been maintained and reside in the glass cabinets of museum exhibition spaces throughout Japan. Some of the most impressive works can be found in Nagasaki City, where porcelain trade with the West flourished via a manmade trading-post islet, called Dejima.

It wasn’t until the latter half of the 20th century that cheaper plastic rice bowls were mass produced for restaurants, such as those used in popular chain shops like Matsuya, Sukiya and Yoshinoya.

3. What do Japanese Rice Bowls Look Like?

Shodai Rice Bowl, 19th Century, Smithsonian

It may sound trite to say that rice bowls are wan gata, or bowl-shaped, but it is only half of the truth. They can be cylindrical, flat, square, extra wide, or extra thick. But what will really distinguish each bowl from the next are the designs, carvings, etchings and motifs displayed across the exterior and interior faces.

A standard design style might be a bowl of white porcelain or ceramic enwreathed by flowers or leaves. Another common design is a single-colored exterior face, perhaps white or blue, with a more elaborate nature-inspired pattern sweeping through the interior: interlocking waves, floating cranes, or blustering sakura petals.

© Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian, Kyoto-Kyomizu Ware, *Ko-Kiyomizu* Rice Container, Edo Period, Late 18th Century

Like many Japanese crafts, rice bowls are often inspired by the nation’s underpinning spiritual schools of thought: Shinto and Buddhism. Both of these religions have intrinsic connections to the natural world, and often bowls will present iconography rooted in the respective mythologies. Mandalas, geometric patterns associated with Oriental mysticism, are also employed by rice bowl artisans from time to time.

Depending on where and by whom the rice bowl is made, the wabi sabi style, referring to the beauty of imperfection may also be used. This can be a bowl with asymmetrical dimensions, a slightly odd shape borne out of the pottery-making process, designs that look like mistakes, or simply cracks in the façade.

Wood is the preferred material of choice by some artisans, particularly those who favor working with lacquer. These rice bowls will usually be a darker color – red and black are often used – with complimentary deigns. Kinpaku (gold leaf) is a common method of sprucing up the motifs on wooden rice bowls.

4. Different Styles of Japanese Rice Bowl are There?

© Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Serving Bowls

Categorizing rice bowls is no easy feat. Not only does each shokunin, or artisan, have their own oeuvre, but the diverse regions where the bowls are made tend to favor specific techniques and materials, often dictated by what was traditionally available.

Material styles overlap, but can be broadly divided into doki (earthenware), shikki (lacquerware), sekki (stoneware), touki (soft-past porcelain) and jiki (hard-paste porcelain).

Doki: Japanese earthenware is perhaps the oldest ceramic tradition anywhere in the world, stretching back to the Jomon period (14,000 – 300 BCE). Earthenware is made from clay, and before kilns were introduced around the 5th century, was made by layering the mixture by hand.

Lidded Rice and Soup Bowls by Okamoto Yosai, Smithsonian

Shikki: Lacquerware bowls are made from wood – cherry, zelkova, chestnut, camphor, katsura, and more – and covered in urushi, varnishy sap yielded from the Japanese sumac tree. Kinpaku is often added post-lacquer to enhance the visuals of the bowl.

Sekki: Though made from clay, stoneware bowls are robust, highly durable and have low water absorbency, giving them a stonelike appearance. They’re baked at temperatures around 1,200 degrees Celsius, and are often presented in a single color with speckling or grading which pairs nicely with Japanese minimalist design themes.

Touki: Soft-paste porcelain bowls, like this beautiful Hasami-ware bowls from the Chojurogama kiln, are made from a clay mixture and are often thick, heavy, multicolored and bearing the trademark touches of wabi sabi.

Jiki: Hard-paste porcelain bowls are made from clay but also require other minerals, such as kaolin. They are often hard, white and mildly translucent, and are most commonly seen in Arita ware, arguably Japan’s most famous brand of pottery.

To find out more, take a look at The A-Z of Japanese Pottery: 32 Most Popular Ceramic Styles.

5. Where are Japanese Rice Bowls Made?

As you can see above there are well over 30 famous pottery styles sprinkled throughout the Japanese archipelago. It’s said that there are also at least 30 different kinds of lacquerware. But in spite of such variety, there are some towns which consistently attract craftwork aficionados. Below, we have outlined a few of these towns which also have solid rice-bowl making traditions:

The Saga Triad: Arita, Imari and Karatsu, all situated in Kyushu’s Saga Prefecture, are among Japan’s most venerated pottery towns. The unofficial home of Japanese porcelain, Saga is filled with pottery factories, artisans and workshops, as well as cafes and restaurants serving local delicacies (and rice, of course) in locally crafted porcelain. In Arita, where pottery flecks are literally grafted in the sidewalks and pottery ornaments surmount bridges, you’ll find the Arita Porcelain Lab, which has plenty of high-quality rice bowls for sale alongside other works of pottery.

Inami: Inami is a hub of woodwork and lacquerware, with over 200 artisans working in the small town. Bed and Craft, a local enterprise that runs a selection of guest villas in the town, also organizes workshop visits, where visitors can learn about the craft of making wooden rice bowls and the subsequent lacquering process.

Hasami, Nagasaki: In Hasami, a small town in Nagasaki Prefecture with a deep pottery tradition going back to the 16th-century Korean potter Ri Yukei, you’ll find Hasami yaki porcelain. Fired by huge kilns in the mountains, Hasami pottery is known for its green and blue floral patterns engraved on delicate white backgrounds. It is one of the most emblematic brands of traditional Oriental ceramics.

Okinawa: Okinawa pottery is typified by colorful designs, a reflection of its Ryukyu lineage, and by the ancient techniques used to make it. Though there are two kinds, arayachi (unglazed) and joyachi (glazed), both of which you can find in abundance in Yomitan Pottery Village.

Echizen: Echizen in Fukui Prefecture is notable for its simple appearance, which created by firing the clay without decoration or enamel. This lack of frills approach means it harkens back to the pottery of Jomon tribes, giving it an atavistic appeal. As such Echizen-made rice bowls also pair well a wide range of design styles.

For more details, check out the 14 Best Japanese Ceramic Towns You Should Visit.

6. Where to Buy Japanese Rice Bowls?

Of course, you can purchase rice bowls at any of the aforementioned pottery regions. But here some specific shop recommendations with online services:

Arita Porcelain Lab, Saga: As noted above, the Arita Porcelain lab has a fantastic selection of rice bowls made in one of the world’s great pottery towns.

Yoshida Yaki, Ureshino: A fantastic selection of varied ceramics that would look great in any home.

Kyoto Ceramics Center, Kyoto: A wide array of bowls which display the craftsmanship of Japan’s cultural capital.

Kurodatoen, Tokyo: Located in Tokyo’s snazzy Ginza district, this our top recommendation for buying pottery in the Japanese capital. The shop is notable for the diversity of its pottery styles and artists.

Tsuboya Yachimun Dori, Okinawa: If kitsch is your style, this is the place to pick up rice bowls. A street lined with pottery shops, a plethora of options are available here.

Ceramics House, Echizen, Fukui: Simple yet elegant Echizen pottery wares are available here. A strong selection of rice bowls on the menu, which lend themselves nicely to a diverse range of tableware sets.

Yokamachi Dori, Inami, Toyama: Permeated by the sounds of artisans chipping away, this street in Inami, lined by woodwork shops, is a great spot for picking up wooden rice bowls and lacquerware.

If you’re looking to get a full set, we also have some advice on choosing the best Japanese teacups, and kyusu (teapots).