Japanese Wall Scrolls, Tea Bowls and Sake Cups – from Kakemono to Guinomi
Table of contents
You are looking for a Japanese wall scroll and don't actually know what it's called. Or a Japanese teacup without a handle, about which you mainly know that this is where that green tea gets whisked. Perhaps also Japanese shot glasses for sake, because "shot glass" is simply the closest German word. If so, you are in good company: almost everyone who begins to take an interest in Japanese art starts with a description rather than the technical term.
That's not a problem, but it costs time. Because the Japanese terms are not secret knowledge - they simply rarely appear where one looks first. This article translates in both directions: from your search term to the technical term, and back again to what lies behind the word.
The Japanese Scroll for Hanging
The Japanese scroll for hanging is called Kakemono (掛物), often also Kakejiku (掛軸) – a vertical-format hanging scroll made of paper or silk, which hangs on the wall by a cord and can be rolled up from bottom to top for storage. The actual image, Japanese Honshi, makes up only the center: all around lies a border of silk brocade, at the top a narrow strip closes it off, at the bottom a heavier round rod with visible end pieces.
The decisive difference to a framed picture lies in its use. A Kakemono is not hung permanently but shown for a few weeks and then kept again in its wooden box – classically matched to the season or the occasion. Anyone who wants to buy a Japanese hanging scroll therefore acquires less a wall object than something that moves along with the year. How this works in practice is described in detail under Hanging and Caring for a Kakemono.
The Japanese Tea Cup Without a Handle
The Japanese tea cup without a handle, in which matcha is whisked, is called chawan (茶碗) – literally simply "tea bowl." It is wider and more open than a European cup because it is worked in: the chasen, a whisk cut from a single piece of bamboo, needs room to whisk, and the interior bottom must offer it enough surface area. A handle would be in the way here – and it would also prevent one from feeling the warmth of the bowl in one's hands.
Anyone searching for "matcha cup" almost always means precisely this vessel. The shapes differ more than one might initially assume: flatter bowls for summer, in which the tea cools more quickly, taller and narrower ones for winter. How such a bowl develops patina over the years is described particularly vividly in the article on Hagi ware.
What if you simply want green tea?
For infused leaf tea – Sencha, Bancha, or the roasted Hōjicha – one does not use a Chawan in Japan, but a Yunomi (湯呑). This is the taller, slimmer cup that fits comfortably in one hand and likewise does without a handle. It is the quintessential Japanese everyday vessel: what the cup in the kitchen cupboard is here, the Yunomi is there.
The rule of thumb is simple: wide and open means Matcha, tall and slim means leaf tea. You will also frequently encounter the Meoto-Yunomi, a pair in slightly different sizes. So anyone searching for a "Japanese teacup" while actually thinking of the vessel for daily green tea is looking for a Yunomi – not the bowl from the tea ceremony.
Japanese Shot Glasses Are Called Guinomi
What is searched for in German as a Japanese shot glass or sake glass is called guinomi (ぐい呑) – a small, handleless cup for sake, usually made of ceramics and rarely of glass. The name comes from drinking in one vigorous gulp. The somewhat smaller variant known from sake sets is called ochoko; the round-bellied flask that goes with it is a tokkuri (徳利), from which sake is poured – in Japan traditionally not for oneself, but for the person across from you.
The appeal of these vessels lies in their size. A guinomi is small enough for a potter to shape in one motion, and large enough to fully display glaze, fire marks, and foot ring – which is why sake cups are so popular among collectors. Those who want to buy Japanese sake cups often find it an easier entry point than a tea bowl, because a single piece remains manageable.
The Picture with Japanese Characters
A picture with Japanese characters is, in most cases, a calligraphy, Japanese Shodō (書道) – the "way of writing." It is written with ink and brush, and unlike printing, every starting stroke, every change of pressure, and every bleed remains visible. There is no correcting: a character is created in a single stroke or not at all.
What is written varies. Common are single kanji with great density of meaning, Zen aphorisms, poems, or the famous circle Ensō, which is drawn with a single brushstroke. So if you are searching for "Japanese script art" or "Japanese characters picture," Japanese calligraphy is the term that will take you further – and most of these works are at the same time Kakemono, that is, rolled and mounted.
Asian Wall Decor, Japan Decor – and What of It Is Actually from Japan
"Asian wall decor" and "Japan decor" are the broadest of these search terms, and they lead to very different things: to printed canvases, to industrially manufactured wall panels, to motifs that look Japanese but were created elsewhere. None of that is objectionable – one should simply know what one is looking at.
The difference can be named. A hand-painted work shows brushstrokes with varying line thickness, starting and ending points, a slightly irregular ink density, and on the reverse the texture of the paper or silk. A print shows even edges and, under a magnifying glass, often a fine grid. At densho.de, the vast majority of works are hand-painted one-of-a-kind pieces; the few prints and screen prints in the assortment are labeled as such. What defines traditional Japanese painting can be read there in detail.
The Wooden Box That Often Comes With It
Do not be surprised if a tea bowl or a hanging scroll is shown together with a plain, light-colored wooden box. It is called a tomobako (共箱) when it has been inscribed by the artist or the workshop itself, and it is not packaging material but part of the object. The wood usually comes from the paulownia tree (Japanese: kiri), which is light, buffers fluctuations in humidity, and keeps insects away.
The lid and the inside usually bear the designation of the piece, the kiln or style, and the artist's name, along with a red seal. For assessing a piece, this is one of the most valuable pieces of information there is – more on this under Tomobako.
Why the right words pay off when searching
The practical benefit is quickly told. Anyone who enters "Japanese tea cup" ends up among souvenir mugs and dish sets. Anyone who enters "Chawan" ends up with tea bowls – and specifically those made by people who use the term themselves. The technical term filters, even before you filter.
There is a second level that helps even more: the ending -yaki. It means roughly "fired" and designates a kiln or region – Hagi-yaki, Raku-yaki, Bizen-yaki, Shino-yaki. Once you know which of these traditions suits you, the search becomes very precise. Anyone who wants to buy a Japanese tea bowl and already knows that they like the soft, discoloring surface no longer searches for "tea bowl," but for Hagi – and finds the right piece right away.
From Search Query to Technical Term
The following overview summarizes what is often searched for, what it is called in Japanese, and where you can find it at densho.de.
| What You Are Looking For | Technical Term | In the Shop |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese wall picture, Japanese scroll, picture to hang up | Kakemono, also Kakejiku | Japanese Painting |
| Japanese teacup without a handle, matcha cup, matcha bowl | Chawan | Chawan and Yunomi |
| Japanese teacup for green tea, Japanese tea mug | Yunomi | Chawan and Yunomi |
| Japanese shot glasses, sake glasses, sake cups | Guinomi, smaller: Ochoko | Guinomi and Tokkuri |
| Japanese sake bottle, sake carafe | Tokkuri | Guinomi and Tokkuri |
| Picture with Japanese characters, Japanese script art | Calligraphy, Shodō | Japanese Calligraphy |
| Japanese flower vase, vase for a single branch | Kabin, in tea culture Hanaire | Japanese Vases |
| Japanese Buddha figure, Daruma figure | Butsuzō, Daruma | Japanese Figures |
| Japanese tea caddy made of lacquer, matcha caddy | Natsume | Japanese Lacquerware |
| Weights for the hanging scroll cord, tassels on the kakemono | Fuchin | Accessories |
Feel Free to Start With the Wrong Word
Nobody has to memorize these terms before putting a piece on their shelf. The words come on their own, once you have used an object for a while – at the latest when you notice that the wide bowl is impractical for morning tea and what you actually wanted was a yunomi.
What remains is an eye for the fact that behind each of these words lies a decision: why a bowl has no handle, why a picture is rolled instead of framed, why a wooden box belongs with it. At densho.de you will find handcrafted one-of-a-kind pieces from Japan, each one personally selected – hanging scrolls, tea bowls, sake vessels, vases, and figures. Take your time looking around, and call things whatever comes to mind at first. You will learn the right name along the way.
