Context (Production / use)
This tool is used in the making of "zisha" pots in the Jiangsu Province of China (for examples of such pots, see 2004.183, 2004.184, 2004.185, 2005.30, 2005.31, 2005.32, 2005.33). The tool has various uses, including patting the leather-hard clay into shape and joining two clay disks together. Only bamboo is used for making these tools, as it is easy to get the tool straight. The bamboo needs to be old so it will not split or shift shape. The film lining the interior of the bamboo trunk is the hardest part, and some of it is left on the tool to guarantee that it will remain straight.
Event Date 14/10/2008
Author: maa

Description (Physical description)
Bamboo tool with the blade inserted in a knot of the bamboo, to avoid splitting. Marked on the tip of the handle with the seals of the maker.
Event Date 14/10/2008
Author: maa

Context (Display)
On display iin 'A perfectionist craft?' Zisha Ceramics case, Maudslay Gallery, from March 2008 onwards.
Event Date 3/2008
Author: Guey-Mei Hsu