Raku ware  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to:
navigation, search A 16th century black Raku-style chawan, used
for thick tea (Tokyo National Museum) Tea bowl with designs of
pine boughs and interlocking circles, unknown raku ware
workshop, Kyoto, 18th-19th Century, Freer Gallery of Art  Raku
ware (楽焼 raku-yaki?) is a type of Japanese Pottery that is
traditionally used in the Japanese Tea Ceremony, most often in
the form of tea bowls. It is traditionally characterised by
being hand shaped rather than thrown; fairly porous vessels,
which result from low firing temperatures; lead glazes; and the
removal of pieces from the kiln while still glowing hot. In the
traditional Japanese process, the fired raku piece is removed
from the hot kiln and is allowed to cool in the open air. The
familiar technique of placing the ware in a container filled
with combustible material introduced by Paul Soldner, is not a
traditional Raku practice. Raku techniques have been modified by
contemporary potters worldwide.