丸盆

　浅めの桶を盆に見立てたもの。檜の薄板を円筒形に並べ底板を嵌め二本の竹製の箍で締める。箱書には「時代丸盆」とあり、いつの頃か、長年の使用により黒光りするこの桶を盆として茶席に取り上げたものである。民具を茶席に取り上げたのは村田珠光以来の侘び茶の風であり、この盆に備わるような実に何気ない美質を見抜くことにもその精神は息づいている。

A shallow bucket has been transformed into a tray. The thin sheet of hinoki wood has been fitted around a base board, and fastened with bamboo ties in two spots. The box for this tray is inscribed "wood ground tray," and at some stage, this glossy blackened bucket was transformed into a tray for use in the tea ceremony. Murata Juko transformed the aristocratic tea ceremony into a more rustic, austere aesthetic which uses simple, folk utensils, and this tray with its unstudied beauty would have been perfect expression of such a spirit.