This is the oldest kind of Chinese tea bowl for drinking matcha (powdered green tea) in Japan. It has a characteristic mouth and a low foot and is placed on a stand. In the Kamakura period Japanese Zen priests went to Sung Dynasty China and along with the culture of tea drinking, brought back the tenmoku tea bowls that were used in temples. They were chiefly used in the early period of chanoyu. Later they were used to serve tea to noblemen.