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Table of Contents
1.　What is the Name of the Bowl Used for Serving Rice?
2.　History of Rice Bowls
3.　Different Names for Different Sizes
4.　Conclusion

What is the Name of the Bowl Used for Serving Rice?

When you eat rice, what kind of bowl do you serve it in?

Most people in Japan probably use a so-called 茶碗 “cha-wan” (cha=tea, wan=bowl). But if you think about it, doesn’t it seem odd? Why is it called a “tea” bowl for serving rice? It’s true that we sometimes use this to eat ocha-zuke, but there is a historical reason why it is called that.

History of Rice Bowls

Since ancient times, Japanese people have served rice in lacquerware bowls. This is the original “rice bowl”. You may have seen it in a slightly high-end Japanese restaurant or hotel. Nowadays, it is sometimes called 飯碗 ”meshi-wan” or 飯器 “hanki” to distinguish it from a ceramic rice bowl (茶碗 “cha-wan”).

When the tea ceremony became popular in the Middle Ages, various matcha bowls began to be made. One day, people tried serving rice in a matcha bowl, and found it to be quite easy to use, so they began to use matcha bowls on a daily basis. It is said that the shape was not like a typical matcha bowl, but was closer to the shape of a modern rice bowl.

After that, it was improved and became the current shape of a rice bowl specialized for serving rice, but the name 茶碗 “cha-wan” (cha=tea, wan=bowl) remained. To avoid confusion, the industry distinguishes between matcha bowls as 抹茶碗 “matcha-wan” and rice bowls as 飯茶碗 “meshi cha-wan (meshi=rice)”.

Different Names for Different Sizes

By the way, the rice bowls are called in different names depending on their size.
Apart from the very small size for children, the smallest sizes are called 小平 “sho-hira”, 中平 “chu-hira”, and 大平 “o-hira”, and there is a larger size called 毛料 “mou-ryo”. Most people use chu-hira or o-hira.

Conclusion

Rice bowls are a popular item among ceramics, but the shape and size are almost fixed, so each manufacturer is trying hard to create their own unique color by ingenuity in color and design. If you go to the store, you can see a wide variety of rice bowls. We hope that you will find your favorite rice bowl, use it for a long time, and enjoy your life with ceramics.

For information about the rice bowls sold by Imoto Sangyo, please click here.
We handle not only rice bowls, but also various other tableware, kitchen utensils, miscellaneous goods, etc.
For more information, please see the “Goods & Cases” pages.