JURAKU-YAKI
Raku ware was born out of an unprecedented methodology and technique.
However it was not called Raku ware when Rikyû and Chôjirô were active.
It was initially called Ima-yaki, “now wares”, wares produced at the present time, that is to say, tea bowls that looked avant-garde.
They were subsequently renamed juraku-yaki, “juraku wares”, due to the fact that the Raku home was nearby the Jurakudai Palace and also Sen Rikyû who lived inside the premises of the Palace was a central figure to the birth and the promotion of Chôjirô's tea bowls. Jurakudai was a palace built by Toyotomo Hideyoshi (1537~1598), the leading warrior statesman of the time, and was one of the greatest symbols of his age.
Juraku-yaki was eventually abbreviated as Raku-yaki, Raku ware. It is believed that Hideyoshi presented Chôjirô with a seal bearing the Chinese character for Raku.
Raku then became the name of the family that produced these wares.
This is the only example in the history of a family name becoming synonymous with the ceramics they produced. Now Raku ware has become a general term for a type of ceramic technique globally known and practiced. However, at first it meant just wares pioneered by Chôjirô together with Rikyû and practiced exclusively by the Raku family.
We visited the RAKU Museum at KYOTO in 2013
The Raku Museum is situated immediately next door to the Raku family home and workshop. It was opened in 1978 by the 14th generation Kakunyû (1918~1980) and has a collection consisting primarily of ceramics made by successive heads of the Raku family, related documents and tea utensils passed down over the generations. The collection has been formed over 450 years as a resource from which future generations can learn about the techniques and artistry of their forebears enabling them to establish each individual style.
However it was not called Raku ware when Rikyû and Chôjirô were active.
It was initially called Ima-yaki, “now wares”, wares produced at the present time, that is to say, tea bowls that looked avant-garde.
They were subsequently renamed juraku-yaki, “juraku wares”, due to the fact that the Raku home was nearby the Jurakudai Palace and also Sen Rikyû who lived inside the premises of the Palace was a central figure to the birth and the promotion of Chôjirô's tea bowls. Jurakudai was a palace built by Toyotomo Hideyoshi (1537~1598), the leading warrior statesman of the time, and was one of the greatest symbols of his age.
Juraku-yaki was eventually abbreviated as Raku-yaki, Raku ware. It is believed that Hideyoshi presented Chôjirô with a seal bearing the Chinese character for Raku.
Raku then became the name of the family that produced these wares.
This is the only example in the history of a family name becoming synonymous with the ceramics they produced. Now Raku ware has become a general term for a type of ceramic technique globally known and practiced. However, at first it meant just wares pioneered by Chôjirô together with Rikyû and practiced exclusively by the Raku family.
We visited the RAKU Museum at KYOTO in 2013
The Raku Museum is situated immediately next door to the Raku family home and workshop. It was opened in 1978 by the 14th generation Kakunyû (1918~1980) and has a collection consisting primarily of ceramics made by successive heads of the Raku family, related documents and tea utensils passed down over the generations. The collection has been formed over 450 years as a resource from which future generations can learn about the techniques and artistry of their forebears enabling them to establish each individual style.
First trial on Raku in Hong Kong
We got the chance to get familiar with RAKU techniques in Hong Kong PR China in 2010. We packed for that long trip a collection of pieces that we thrown on the wheel using grogged clay and biscuit at 900° Celsius as recommended.
The Japanese know it better than anyone: ceramics can be terribly sensual. A simple raku mug is enough to convince you. Studied to worry the lower lip of its roughness, it reassures the upper lip in contact with its very smooth surface. This diabolical science of thwarted perception would be nothing if it weren't for the telluric memories awakened by this singularly Japanese sandstone, born from the fusion of earth and ash in an oven so hot that nothing else would survive.
In short, a cup of raku is a volcano in a glass of water.
