"Shu Kou" (束口), literally "contracted mouth," is one of the classic Jianzhan silhouettes from the Song dynasty. The rim curves gently inward above the body, gathering steam and aroma as you drink — a small, deliberate change in form that shapes how the tea meets the nose. The bowl stands low and open, settled and steady on the table.
The glaze is a Tian Yan (天眼, "Sky Eye") oil spot, set on a deep black ground with strong, raised silver crystals covering both the interior and the exterior. The exterior pattern is dense and full — the silver spots pack tightly across the curved wall, giving the bowl a metallic, almost scaly look when turned in the hand. Inside, the same crystals cluster toward the center, with a clear blue-green iridescence in places where the light catches the surface.
Handcrafted in Jianyang, Nanping, Fujian — historically known as Jianzhou or Jian’an — and fired at 1300°C. The bowl is dense in hand and holds heat well; its iron-rich glaze is often said to soften the taste of the tea.
| Capacity |
140 ml |
| Weight |
190 g |
| Height |
5.5 cm |
| Diameter |
9 cm |
Handmade — slight variations in size and weight are normal.
Held in hand for size reference — see photo above.
Photos are taken of one piece selected at random from each batch. The bowl you receive will carry the same glaze and the same overall pattern, with only very slight differences in the exact placement of individual spots or streaks — a subtle variation, never a drastic change. Slight color differences may also appear due to lighting and screen calibration.
Packaging
Each Jianzhan comes in a dedicated cloth bag — cotton-linen exterior, silk-wadding interlayer, velvet-lined interior — then securely packed for safe shipping.
Availability
Limited stock. 2–5 pieces available per design — once sold out, not restocked.
Explore the full Jianzhan collection →
Note: some bowls carry small smooth sand points on the glaze surface — natural marks left by the firing, very common in wood-fired, traditionally hand-thrown Jianzhan. They are smooth to the touch, with no pits or depressions, do not affect the bowl's use for tea in any way, and are not considered a workmanship defect.
