Cup with character for longevity (shou)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Cups like this one reflect the seventeenth-century Japanese taste for Chinese porcelain. They also reflect a change in Japanese tea culture brought about by Ōbaku monks from China, who arrived with a new form of tea that was popular on the continent. Unlike traditional powdered tea, whisked in deep bowls, the new tea (called sencha in Japan) was brewed by steeping whole, unfermented leaves in pots and served in small cups. In size, form, and aesthetic, this cup would have been perfectly suited to Japanese sencha practice.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art