For the connoisseurship of chadogu, the wabisuki concept is to be kept in mind. wabisuki implements possess or should possess the seven qualities described hereunder. They may be regarded as the qualities that determine their aura, as mentioned in the section above.
1. Asymmetry. Instead of being perfectly round or square, the article has a dent, is warped, or is somehow otherwise asymmetrical. Distaste for such qualities as perfect, prim, punctilious.2. Simplicity. Being plain and simple. Distaste for such qualities as precision, complexity, clever fine work.
3. Tall and withered. A presence like a leafless tree standing in the snow; not totally withered, but evoking the sense that when spring arrives it will sprout buds. Distaste for such qualities as rich, flowery, young.
4. Naturalness. Innocence and non-worldliness; freedom from device This is not the same as being like nature in the wild, but means distaste for artificiality, artifice, and affectation.
5. Subtlety and Profundity(yugen,幽玄). Modesty, lingering effect, nebulosity, suggestiveness. Distaste for overt expression
6. Non-vulgarity. Freedom from worldly fetters. distaste for worldly glory, riches, human entanglements.
7. serenity. Quietude, composure, solitude. Distaste for busyness, bustle, turmoil, and the like.
Besides the matters of form, balance, and aura, the above qualities are important standards in selecting chadogu. We may also say that implements that have these qualities can be regarded as good wabisuki implements. However, not all chanoyu implements necessarily possess all seven of these qualities equally. sometimes, some of the qualities are strong, while the others are weak.Also,even though these qualities were the basis for connoisseurship, because there was a broadened interpretation of them after the 17th century, art works and crafts that do not necessarily fit into these descriptions came to be taken up as chadogu. Therefore, chanoyu art became complex and, in a way, hard to understand. Nonetheless, the standards of chanoyu art lie in the work's form, balance, and aura, and the above-listed qualities characterize them.
* The distinctive features of chanoyu objects of art 'Chanoyu objects of art' constitute one genre of Japanese art, and within this genre, there are many types of art, including writings and paintings, crafts, and so on. Also, in that each of the articles well expresses some characteristic of Japanese art, it is possible to view chanoyu as representative of 'Japaneses art'. We may also consider that the artistic sense found in chanoyu influenced many field of Japanese art. This influence, however, was not of equal measure across all field of crafts and especially pottery.
Also, chanoyu not only has its artistic quality. One characteristic of it is that its artistic quality is just one element of it. Chanoyu can not be considered on the basis of standards of art, especially Western standards of art. Looking at chanoyu and its relation to Japanese art, it is possible to point out as follows:
1. chanoyu was established later than Japanese art
In chanoyu, the tea drinking method that entered the country in the early 13th century was established as an art form in the16th century because, therefore, it was later in developing than such arts as painting, sculpture, architecture,literature, or music, it was influenced by them.
2. The wellspring of the chanoyu aesthetic sense
The chanoyu aesthetic sense, based on the wabisuki ideal, denied overt decorativeness and pursued the spiritual. However, after the 17th century, it accepted Chinese art objects that it had once eliminated, and also accepted newly recognized Japanese craft products, and we thus have a mixture of works not necessarily based solely on the standard of the wbisuki idea.
3. the incorporation of natural phenomenon and literary works
Many works incorporated in chanoyu are on themes from nature, or literary themes, and there are many that were given MEI(銘,a poetic appellation or proper name). Therefore, by learning chanoyu one becomes attuned to the Japanese view of nature and gains education from literature.
4. the importance of balance between the parctical and other considerations concerning chanoyu implements When taking up articles as chanoyu implements, one asks oneself what the item is to be used for and if it is suitable for that purpose. In other words, keyed to the choice is the consideration of the item's use. Consequently, one would not use something chosen as a tea bowl as a receptacle for waste-water(kensui,建水). At the sme time, not only is there consideration given toward whether the item wil harmonize with the other implements , but also, the selective eye is focused on its harmony within the tea room, tea making, and purpose of the tea gathering.
5. the spread of the chanoyu aesthetic
Because chanoyu implements were bought and sold at high prices, their makers created them according to the tastes of the people involved. In other words, the chanoyu aesthetic was clearly in mind. Therefore, the chanoyu aesthetic has inevitably influenced general crafts to some extent.
6. the unique standards of value in chanoyu
The crafts from around the world, and across many fields, that have been taken up in chanoyu have not necessarily been the most splendid articles in terms of artistic quality or craftsmanship. Since they always were chosen from the viewpoint of the aesthetic of wabisuki, they consequently were not chosen because they were the most splendid works of that country or in that field,but rather , because they represented the wabisuki aesthetic. therefore. within the realm of Japanese art, there is the tendency to consider chanoyu art as something unique.
7. Importance placed on past transmission
Furthermore, for chadogu, attention is given to who owned the piece, where it was preserved, and so forth regarding its history. In fact, such matters may be considered more important than the piece's artistic or technical qualities. The sense of respect toward the person who originally owned the piece has probably altered the value of the piece, providing added value that falls under the factor called its 'transmission.'
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