13/09/2024
Chinese Jianzhan
1. Definition and Origin
Jianzhan, full name "Jianyang Jianzhan", ancient name "Jianyao Jianzhan", is a specialty of Jianyang District, Nanping City, Fujian Province, and a Chinese National Geographical Indication Product, specifically referring to the black-glazed porcelain tea cups in the ancient Jian kiln site and the black-glazed porcelain tea cups in the current Jianyang area.
2. Historical Development
Origin: It was first fired at the end of the Five Dynasties. The initial products were mainly black tea cups without spots, that is, "black gold glaze cups". At that time, Jian Kiln was just an ordinary kiln that produced green glaze and brown glaze wares. Later, it changed to firing black glaze tea cups without spots on the glaze surface, laying the foundation for the birth of Jianzhan.
Prosperity: In the Song Dynasty, the Song people had a delicate and exquisite way of drinking tea, and making tea and fighting tea became an important part of their lives. Jianzhan, with its black glaze, simple shape, and unique craftsmanship, meets the demand for white tea color and the aesthetic taste of tea fighting, and has become the first choice of tea for tea fighting. It is also loved by royal relatives and nobles. The production scale has expanded and tribute has been paid to the court. According to the differences in the iron oxide crystal spots formed on the glaze surface, Jianzhan is divided into varieties such as "rabbit hair", "partridge spot" and "Yaobian".
Decline: After the Yuan Dynasty, the way of drinking tea changed, and tea fighting and tea making gradually lost their dominant position. Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, announced the abolition of dragon and phoenix tea and the promotion of loose tea. The trend of tea fighting and tea making gradually subsided and was eventually replaced by brewed tea. The output of Jianzhan was rapidly reduced, Jian kiln declined, and Jianzhan gradually stopped firing.
Revival: In the 1980s, the antique Jianzhan was successfully developed and Jianzhan was revived. Since then, some long-lost Jianzhan firing techniques and glaze categories have been restored one after another.
3. Product classification
According to glaze color:
Rabbit hair tea: The more common high-quality Jianzhan is the earliest "crystallized glaze" porcelain in the world. In the black and brown glaze layer, there is a fine and uniform natural texture, like rabbit hair, which is divided into gold rabbit hair, silver rabbit hair, yellow rabbit hair, blue rabbit hair, etc. according to the color.
Oil-drop cup: On the black or dark brown glaze, small and dense spots, i.e. crystals, are evenly distributed. They are randomly distributed, or round and dripping, of different sizes and densities. The spots are golden or silver-gray in color, also known as "gold oil drops" or "silver oil drops".
Yōbō cup: The glaze surface is characterized by small round or oval spots of varying sizes appearing on the inner and outer walls of the cup. Against the black glaze, these crystalline spots of varying shades flash blue, purple, golden or brown halo colors under light from different directions. There are only 3 pieces of this kind in existence, all of which are in Japan and are treasured by the Japanese government as national treasures.
Partridge-spotted cup: The spots on the whole body are oval or round, and the colors are egg white, pure white or silver white. The dots are relatively large, and the distribution is staggered and relatively sparse, showing the characteristics of white spots on a black background.
Black-gold glaze cup: Pure black glaze, rabbit-hair cups that do not meet the standards are also classified as black-gold glaze. The color is black and smooth, the glaze surface is well vitrified, the glaze is thicker, and the bottom has glaze hanging and glaze gathering, and the flow is strong.
Variegated glaze bowl: The "natural glaze" in Jianzhan that cannot be attributed to rabbit hair, oil droplets, Yaobian, and Wujin glaze is mostly obtained by accident. Except for a few beautiful fine products, most of them are burnt defective products.
According to the shape of the vessel:
Open-mouthed bowl: commonly known as "douli bowl", the mouth of the bowl is open outward, the belly of the bowl is an inclined straight line or has a slight arc, usually close to a straight line, divided into deep belly and shallow belly two shapes, common medium and small calibers, occasionally large.
Lip-mouthed bowl: The rim is obviously tilted outward, and it can be divided into mother bowl (large bowl for mixing paste and pouring) and sub-bowl (small bowl for drinking tea) according to its use, and the two are used together.
Narrow-mouthed bowl: The rim of the bowl converges inward, small and medium-sized vessels are more common, with various styles, mostly used for drinking tea, and large narrow-mouthed bowls have a shape called "bowl", which can be used for monks to drink tea or as a Buddhist vessel for worship.
Bound-mouthed bowl: The most common and typical bowl type created by Jian Kiln. A shallow groove is formed inward about 1-1.5cm below the outer edge of the mouth, commonly known as the "water injection line". The belly curve is slightly curved, the lower belly is inward, and the foot is shallow, and the shape is like a funnel.
4. Craft characteristics
Raw materials: The main raw materials include yellow mud, clay, red clay, and glaze stone, which are produced in the current administrative area of Jianyang District, Nanping City, Fujian Province. The auxiliary raw materials are plant ash and pine wood.
Body: The iron content of Jianzhan's body soil and glaze is very high. The body is often gray-black, thick and slightly coarse, and is called "iron body".
Glazing: Generally, the glaze is thicker, glazed at one time, and half glazed, with some exposed body and a little dry mouth. The glaze is highly fluid at high temperature, and there are special requirements for body glaze materials and glazing techniques.
Difficulty of firing: Kiln workers cannot accurately control the pattern of the finished product. Firing fine products requires a combination of human ingenuity and destiny. The yield rate is low and there are no duplicates. Each Jianzhan is unique.
5. Cultural value
Domestic cultural value: Jianzhan was a treasure among tea sets in the Song Dynasty. Many literati and scholars left cultural works such as poems related to Jianzhan. It is an important carrier of Song Dynasty tea culture, reflecting the aesthetic taste and lifestyle at that time, and is of great significance to the study of Song Dynasty culture.
International cultural value: Jianzhan was sold overseas through the "Maritime Silk Road" and was highly praised by the tea culture in Japan, South Korea and other regions, and contributed to the history of economic and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. Japan cherishes Jianzhan culture very much, regards it as a treasure, and conducts in-depth research and collection.https://toy.newseek.xyz/
