It is a delicious black ice crystallised glaze,
Named Tenmoku it has long been awarded rich praise
Both for its colour and for its the shine,
It has a history for a finish on which to sip and dine
Originally religious in nature the glazes strict definition has since changed and departed
But in order to understand that journey have to retell the monastic tale of where it all started
You are a Zen buddhist monk in the 13th century
You must venture to china, its pilgrimage to study, not a holiday for pleasantries
As you cross stormy waters you are lashed with waves so that nothing will remain dry
And across the plains you trek and the mountains you climb until you reach your monastic destination, a place revered as heaven's eye.
Up on those Fujian hills you learn the words that bring you closer to Nirvana
You are taught of those who came before before you, you learn of the Bodhidharma
Join in and practice amongst the other monks drinking tea
Learn from the Chan Buddhist elders and set your thinking free
Store everything that you can take in on that high mountain
So when you venture back you can release your wisdom like a pressurised fountain
You may not know it, but you pilgrimage will bring more than just faith across the Yellow Sea
It will bring a desire to Japan, a desire for the Tenmoku pots that housed your tea!
Potters and consumers will fall in love with that hematite sheen
It’s such a striking finish it just requires to be seen!
As result of your return home there won’t just be more souls pursuing Nirvana,
But also Iron glazed tea bowls arriving freshly packaged in Japan’s many harbours
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