Raku Ceramics History

The raku museum is the unique specialisitic museum of raku ware exhibiting a collection of raku pieces handed down by the raku family a ceramic dynasty of 450 years history and making further studies on this subject.

Raku ceramics history. 1592 in the 16th century in kyoto. He developed a low fire pottery process in which he placed ware directly into a red hot kiln then once the glazes had melted removing the ware from the still red hot kiln and allowing the pottery to cool outside the kiln. Raku glaze is par excellence one of the oldest products in the history of ceramics and sicer always attentive to both tradition and innovation among its products it holds a series of raku glazes with shiny and satin metal surfaces that allow to achieve unique and exceptional aged effects. The history of raku pottery goes back almost four hundred years but even today there are japanese potters who wheel form tea bowls and then hand form the same bowl when the clay is leather hard.

In 1580 the potter chijiro is thought to be the first to produce this form of ware. Raku is a low fired ceramic ware first produced by sasaki chōjirō d. Raku ware 楽焼 raku yaki is a type of japanese pottery traditionally used in japanese tea ceremonies most often in the form of chawan tea bowls. The raku museum is the unique specialisitic museum of raku ware exhibiting a collection of raku pieces handed down by the raku family a ceramic dynasty of 450 years history and making further studies on this subject.

This hand forming encouraged the valued irregularity of shape. Under the encouragement and patronage of his close friend tea master sen no rikyū he crafted a style of bowl which was very much unlike the colorful chinese influenced ceramics of the time. Raku pottery was first developed by japanese potters in the 16th century and it still holds a mystique and is embraced by amateur and professional potters till this day. Delving further into raku s history it dates right back to the early 1550s as mentioned specifically for the zen buddhist masters in their ceremonial teaware it s been well documented that this was the favored method of ceramics for the zen buddhist masters as raku ware touches on many of the things that zen philosophy embodies most notably its simplicity and naturalness.

Raku is a japanese word that can be translated as enjoyment happiness or comfort. Traditionally used in japanese tea ceremonies rakuware 楽焼 raku yaki is a famous type of japanese pottery this art form was highly appreciated by tea masters for the purity and unpretentiousness of the objects especially chawan tea bowls. Raku pottery is mainly used for decoration rather than being functional. Tea bowls are seldom made perfectly round.