1. What is the difference between a plate and a bowl?
Some homes serve curry on flat plates, while others use deeper vessels. Even within the same category of "dish," shallow ones are called plates, while deep ones are called bowls. Dictionaries define a plate as a shallow, flat vessel for holding food, usually circular in shape [1]. The Japanese Wikipedia adds that it has slightly raised edges, making it convenient for holding food [7]. Deeper vessels are said to be bowls. So, where did this shape come from? According to dictionaries, the plate shape is thought to have evolved from deeper bowls and cups [1]. This suggests that plates were not born as plates from the start, but emerged as deep vessels became shallower. The dictionary does not explain the specific reasons for the edge height or the circular shape. If deep vessels came first, what did the dining tables of that time look like?
2. Why Jomon pottery mostly had bowls and jars, with few plates
Even at Jomon period archaeological sites, pottery shaped like plates has been found, but only in small numbers. However, Jomon pottery was based on a set of bowls and jars [1]. Deep vessels were the center of the set, meaning shallow plates were not the main vessels. In Japan, the vessel corresponding to today’s plate was historically written as "ban." Dictionaries explain that the basic difference between a "ban" and a bowl was not just shallow versus deep, but whether it had a "kodai" (foot) [1]. The kodai is the stand-like part at the bottom of the vessel. This foot also changed over time. It developed from a flat bottom with no foot, to an "added foot" attached after shaping, and finally to a "carved foot" shaped from the vessel itself [1]. The dictionary does not specify the dates for these changes. Around the same time, vessels began to be distinguished by use. From the Kofun period onward, Haji ware was mainly used for cooking and eating, while Sue ware was used for storage and serving [4]. Among these vessels, plates that were discarded after a single use appeared.
3. What were kawarake, the unglazed dishes thrown away after ceremonies?
"Kawarake" refers to small unglazed dishes or cups. Rather than being everyday vessels, they were used in ceremonies and banquets, and were simply thrown away after use [2]. It is said that they were used in sets, with a large, deep cup and a small, shallow dish. There are two main ways they were made: wheel-throwing, which uses the rotation of a wheel, and hand-building, where clay is kneaded into shape [3]. According to explanations from Tottori Prefecture, many kawarake found there were made on a wheel, but hand-built ones similar to those in Kyoto have also been found [2]. Since these vessels were intended to be discarded after use, durability for long-term use was likely not a priority. Here, we see that plates were not only things to be washed and reused many times. So, what were plates like at dining tables across the sea in Europe?
4. How did hard bread called trenchers serve as plates in medieval Europe?
At medieval European dining tables, thick slices of stale bread, called trenchers, served as individual plates. Until around 1500, they were made from large loaves of bread, and guests would take food from a large central platter onto their own trencher [5]. This shows that there was an era when this was the way people ate, rather than a lack of plates. By the end of the 15th century, especially in Northern Europe, trenchers became more commonly made of wood or tin. Some wooden ones had small hollows for salt [5]. Wooden trenchers began to be replaced by tin, and then by pottery and porcelain, in the early 17th century [6]. It is also said that wooden trenchers were used alongside ceramic plates until the 19th century [5]. Although the material changed from bread to wood, tin, and ceramics, the role of holding food on a shallow surface for sharing remained. So, what kinds of vessels spread to the dining tables of townspeople in Edo-period Japan?
5. How did Imari ware and Hasami ware spread to townspeople in Edo?
In the late 18th century, as food culture grew and life became more comfortable, Imari ware spread to the homes of townspeople. Eating out became popular, from street stalls to high-end restaurants, leading to a variety of vessels [8]. Wikipedia explains that pottery from Hasami in Hizen was distributed domestically as everyday goods for common people, such as the "kurawanka bowl" [9]. Kawarake discarded in ceremonies, trenchers made of bread, wood, or tin, and everyday vessels for townspeople. These are not examples from one continuous history, but separate examples from different times and regions. We can see that the materials and uses of plates varied greatly depending on the place and time.
6. What is the kodai, the ring-shaped foot on the bottom of a plate?
Choose one plate from your home. Hold it gently with both hands and turn it over on the table. If there is a small ring-shaped stand on the bottom, that is the kodai. Because it may break if dropped, do this at a low height and avoid plates that are already cracked or chipped. Compare it with the bottom of a deep bowl or tea bowl to see how the height of the foot and the size of the ring differ. The bottom part is formally called kodai, but is generally called "itojiri" (thread-bottom) [7]. The height of the edge should also differ from plate to plate. First, look at the entry for "plate" in the Sekai Daihyakka Jiten, which explains ban, kodai, added foot, and carved foot [1].