Mizusashi
/ˌmiːzuˈsɑːʃi/noun
A lidded container used in Japanese tea ceremony to hold fresh water.
Did you know?In chanoyu, the mizusashi is not merely storage: its material, shape, lid, and placement help establish the season and mood of the entire tea gathering.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Japonic
Proto-Japonic
*midu
“Water; reconstructed ancestor of the Japanese word for water.”
8th Century
Old Japanese
midu
“Water, recorded in early Japanese texts.”
Medieval Japanese
Japanese
mizu
“Water; the later form of Old Japanese midu.”
Medieval Japanese
Japanese
sasu
“To put, place, or insert; the verb underlying the second element sashi.”
16th–17th Century
Japanese
水指 (mizusashi)
“A water container, especially the vessel used in the developing Japanese tea tradition.”
Modern English
English
mizusashi
“A Japanese tea-ceremony water container, borrowed from Japanese cultural vocabulary.”