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2012

Traveling Tea Set (Chabako)

Mari Iwabuchi

Japanese, born 1970

The tea ceremony requires a variety of implements, including teabowls, whisks, tea caddies, and the like. The tea set seen here, contained in a wood box (called a chabako) is portable, used by tea masters when they travel to teach or host a gathering.

A group of contemporary Japanese artists created this ensemble of pieces, including the box itself. They have each signed the lid of the outer storage box, which is on display.

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Mari Iwabuchi, Traveling Tea Set (Chabako), 2012 | Philadelphia Museum of Art