Hank Murrow on thu 4 sep 08
Begin forwarded message:
> From: Hank Murrow
> Date: January 12, 2001 1:00:59 PM PST
> To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
> Subject: Re: Legend of Tenmoku
>
>> The term Tenmoku comes from the mountian by the same name in
>> China. It was
>> a Japanese monk during the Kamakura period who went to study in
>> China who
>> brought back a small tea bowl which was glazed black. The name of
>> the glaze
>> was not known to the Monk. When the Monk returned to Japan, he
>> gave the
>> name of mountain as the name of the glaze for lack of a better title.
>>
>> Now, has anybody else ever heard this story? Did the Monk have a
>> name?
>>
>
> Dear Tenmoku Lovers;
>
> The explanation which I heard came from David Stannard (raised in
> China) mentor & potter-friend, who said he thought the bowls were
> named from the two little lakes nestled at the foot of the mountain
> near the monastery. He visited the remains of this monastery
> fifteen years ago. The lakes were called "the Eyes of God", or
> tenmoku. If you walked up the mountain and looked down on the
> lakes, it would seem a reasonable name. The bowls were made at the
> monastery for the use of the monks, and when they evangelized
> Japan, they brought the bowls with them. The bowls were later
> exported in great numbers form the port of Fuzhou to Japan.
>
> Anyway, another good story to add to the pile, Hank in Eugene
>
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