Kyoto

Vegetarian dish to pass on the spirit of zen, imitating the round bowls used by mendicant monks

Tetsubachi Dishes

Tetsubachi are the round metal bowls used by mendicant monks to receive food inside. All bowls except for some made of ceramic can be piled up into one bowl with a lid to cover everything, which signify function and Japanese aesthetics put together. Tetsubachi originate in India, imported to Japan during the Nara era, and were used by takuhatsu (mendicant) monks. Tetsubachi dishes is a kind of modern vegetarian dishes with the spirit of zen, seasonal tastes and traditions of Kyoto served together in bowls (made of lacquered wood) that imitate the tetsubachi. Izusen in Daitokuji is famous of such dishes.