What is raku?

Raku ware originated during the Momoyama period (1573-1615) in Japan with Chojiro, the first generation of the Raku family. Raku firing and glazes were based on the sancai wares being produced in the Kyoto region at that time. Sancai was a tri-colored glazed pottery based on technology from the Fujian region of China. Chojiro decided to make tea bowls for the tea ceremony (chanoyu) after becoming aquainted with the tea master Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591).

Original Chorjiro Raku tea bowls were imbued with a unique quiet aesthetic derived from Zen Buddhism, nature, simplicity and Taoism. They were hand-formed rather than thrown on the wheel. Their exclusive use of monochrome black or red glazes contrasted with the bright colors of the sancai. In modern firing, the colors can vary from black to crackled white, and everything in between.

Traditional raku was fired in a kiln, then taken out once it reached roughly 1900 degrees in temperature. It was allowed to immediately air cool, as opposed to the usual practice of allowing pieces to cool gradually for hours in the kiln. Sometimes pieces were plunged into water to stop the glaze from maturing.