"Fo Du" (佛肚), literally "Buddha's belly," refers to a rounded, generous form — the bowl swells outward in its lower half, echoing the Laughing Buddha's full belly in Chinese tradition, a symbol of abundance, openness, and a generous spirit. The glaze is a Tian Yan (天眼, "Sky Eye") oil spot, named for the silvery spots that resemble watchful eyes across a dark, sky-like ground.
The bowl has a deep black ground densely covered with silvery oil-spot crystals. Inside, the spots are small and tightly packed, almost like a starry sky viewed from below. Outside, the spots grow larger and more distinct, with a soft metallic sheen and a faint blue-green iridescence in places.
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 |
160 ml |
| Weight |
275 g |
| Height |
6 cm |
| Diameter |
7 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.
