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Mizusashi (水指)

Fresh water container that sits beside the host during chanoyu.

What mizusashi means

The mizusashi holds the cool fresh water used to top up the kama and to rinse the chawan during temae. It is typically a lidded ceramic or lacquer vessel placed to the host's right and is replenished before each gathering. Urasenke and Omotesenke both treat the mizusashi as a focal utensil whose material and shape are matched to the season, with cooler glazes used in summer and warmer clays in winter. Water is drawn from it with the hishaku rather than poured.

Also called

Mizusashi also appears as fresh water jar, cold water container.

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