(Around November 2104, I asked to spend some months in our House of Prayer in Kalyani, W.B. The first part was one of my reflections during that time.)
Right on the eve of my departure to India, Elie, a friend of mine, brought me a small Japanese tea bowl. A few days earlier, she had mentioned it on the phone, and my first reaction (obviously not to her) was, “There’s no way I’m going to carry a ceramic teacup with me to India.” I’m one of those who travel light: one, because as a Missionaries of Charity Brother, I do not possess a whole lot of stuff (even though after ten years in Los Angeles I did manage to horde a lot of unnecessary things), and two, because of my philosophy—the more I pack, the more I have to carry.
Elie came over to my house to leave me the teacup. A sense of awe struck me when she started describing the process of how she moulded and finished this tea bowl and others using an old Japanese technique. According to Elie, the anagama kiln, also known as cave kiln (for its shape), is the type of oven which was used during firing. In contrast to modern kilns, which run on electricity or fuel, the anagama is fuelled only by firewood, which, when thrown in the hot kiln, is consumed very rapidly due to the high temperatures reached and needed—1400ºC. Firing can take from forty-eight hours to twelve days. In the case of this tea bowl, firing took three continuous days, and shifts had to be taken by individuals (friends of Elie) who share the same passion, in order to maintain the high temperatures for such a long time. During the process of firing, a natural ash glaze is formed on the clay pieces, due to the production of fly ash and volatile salts and minerals which settle on the pots. The natural ash glaze varies in colour, texture and thickness. It can be smooth and glossy to sharp and rough.
Bro Carmel Duca MC
To read the entire article, click Subscribe
