What is Raku?

Raku is a low fire pottery technique with several variations. Pieces are glazed in a preheated kiln and brought up to temperature quickly. When the glaze matures, the pieces are either removed with tongs and cooled in water immediately, slowly cooled in open air or placed in a container of combustible material, covered and allowed to smoke to alter glazing and texture.

The raku process originated in Kyoto, Japan in the late 16th century. Its inventor, a potter named Chojoro, with the assistance of the great Kyoto Tea Master, Sen-no-Rikyu, caught the attention of Emperor Hideyoshi. Raku wares became the imperial standard for tea ceremonies and much sought.

The word <raku> comes from, the symbol engraved on the gold seal bestowed on potter Chojoro’s son, Jokei, by Emperor Hideyoshi. Loosely translated its meaning range from employment, pleasure, and comfort to happiness and contentment.

Whole the spirit of raku springs from the Japanese Tea Ceremony, the technical aspects may be modified from techniques employed by tile makers. Roof tile makers, notoriously impatient potters, removed the tiles immediately from the hot kiln with tongs. This technique was adopted wholeheartedly when they discovered the pieces did not break even with rapid cooling.

Raku came to the attention of the western world in the 1960’s. Paul Soldner, who had been experimenting with raku and various glazes techniques, decided to cool his pieces in leaves at the last stage. This “post-firing” process became the modern incarnation of Japanese raku. Variations in the reduction technique give raku its signature smoky quality, enhanced craze lines, and metallic effects.

All raku-fired pottery is fragile, porous and unsuitable as tableware. The traditional use of raku in the Japanese tea ceremony contributes to the confusion about the functionality of raku.

Think of raku as decorative!

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