Enjoyment
History of Raku
Because there were no early written records of Japanese pottery industries, the history of raku is sketchy. Most potters who trace raku's origins point to a Korean immigrant tile maker who married a Japanese woman and settled in Kyoto as the one who discovered that hot tiles could survive without breaking when removed from the kiln. His son, Cajiro (1515-1592), experimenting with the new firing technique, made bowls for the tea master Sen-no-Rikyu who encouraged craftsmanship emphasizing simplicity and harmony. Their collaboration, according to potter, Stephen Branfman in Raku: A Practical Approach, resulting in raku ware, was brought to the attention of the shogun, Hideyoshi, who in later years bestowed a gold seal engraved with an ideograph, meaning enjoyment, comfort, and contentment (25). The Japanese tea ceremony, as refined by Rikyu, would ensure that raku ware would be treasured by Orientals for generations, but it would not be until the 20th century when Bernard Leach visited Japan that the West would come to learn and adapt the raku firing process.
17th Century Raku Tea Bowl
18th Century
Red Raku Tea Bowl