Raku wares are associated with the world of contemplative tea ceremony in which the drinking experience becomes a transcendent one. The tea bowl or chawan in Japanese is the emblematic ceramic utensil of the tea ceremony. Since the first raku tea bowl made its appearance in the 16th century, the making of chawan has been elevated to an art that has attracted the attention of some of Japan’s most distinguished ceramicists.
Raku tea bowls are traditionally made by hand, without the use of a potter’s wheel, giving them a distinctly human feel. In the process of shaping the bowls, potters handle the tea bowls in much the same manner that users will hold them as they drink from them. In this way, we can imagine a connection formed between the maker of the tea bowl and the participants in the tea ceremony. For this and aesthetic reasons, Raku bowls are cherished by tea practitioners asl well as collectors of fine Japanese ceramics.
Most Raku chawan are either red or black, but there are many variations. Depending on the firing length, temperature and the form of glazing used, they can turn out black, red, pink or as shown here a deep matte black-brown known as kasé Raku that has the texture of rusty iron. The famous Omokage chawan made by Tanaka Chôjirô (1516-1589), revered as the ‘father’ of raku ware is of this style. The present chawan is a modern one, by master potter, Hideki Yanashita who is inspired by the form and textures of classic tea bowls.
