A beautifully worn Muromachi period Negoro Tenmoku-dai Chawan Tea Bowl Stand enclosed in an old wooden box. It is 15.3 cm (6 inches) diameter, 7.2 cm (3 inches) tall and in overall surprising good condition. There is crazing in the lacquer from age and a repair to a crack in the flat rim, not bad for something 500 years old.
The Tenmoku dai is a bowl stand used specifically for Tenmoku (Jian) tea bowls, and its purpose is both practical and symbolic, rooted in the shared tea cultures of China and Japan. The Tenmoku dai exists to support, elevate, protect, and honor the Tenmoku bowl—functionally stabilizing it, visually framing it, and culturally signaling its high status within Chinese and Japanese tea traditions. Unlike later wabi-oriented tea practice, where intimacy and direct contact are emphasized, the Tenmoku dai preserves a sense of ritual distance and dignity.
※The tea bowl stand, tray, etc. shown in the latter half of the photos are sold separately.
