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 I've got
a bit of a problem about the following. I did not write
it and don't know who did, all I have is a handout with
the information. I offer it in the spirit of sharing that
I hope the unknown author will appreciate. If anybody recognizes
it's origins please let me know so I can attribute it. The
work shown is mine.
"The raku style of pottery originated in Kyoto, Japan
in the late 16th century with the potter Chojiro, a Korean
immigrant. Bernard Leach in A Potter's Book tells us that
Chojiro's parents, Ameya and Teirin, were the first to produce
ware of the type we associate with raku, but it was Chojiro,
under the guidance and tutelage of the great Kyoto tea master
Sen-no-Rikyu, who brought the ware to the attention of the
emperor Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi, in memory of Chojiro, bestowed
a gold seal on Chojiro's son Jokei. The work raku comes
from the ideograph engraved on that gold seal. Loosely translated,
it can mean enjoyment, pleasure, comfort, happiness, or
contentment.
Raku was prized by the Japanese tea masters because it
is unpretentious but aesthetically pleasing and embodies
the ideals of Zen Buddhism and wabi. In Japanese aesthetics,
wabi encompasses austerity, transience, seclusion, and tranquility.
Wabi is the intangible essence of the tea ceremony. On the
practical side, the porous clay body acts as insulation
between the hot tea and the hand and produces a dull, quiet
sound when it comes in contact with utensils or the table
top.
The beginning of raku in North America beyond Warren Gilbertson's
introduction of the technique (in 1942) are unclear. The
potter who is responsible for establishing raku as a popular,
creative method of pottery making is Paul Soldner. Soldner
began making his raku experiments around 1960 with only
the information gathered from A Potter's Book (Bernard Leach).
Being somewhat bored and dissatisfied with the apparent
bland nature of the colour development in the pots, Soldner
spontaneously put a piece in some leaves to burn. Thus was
born our contemporary incarnation of the raku process -
'postfiring reduction'."
 I fire
raku indoors in digitally controlled (GB4 by Digitry) electric
kilns and do post-firing reduction in seasoned sawdust.
Sometimes I quench in water sometimes I don't. I wear an
air-supplied face mask and have an industrial extraction
fan going to keep the smoke moving. The controller allows
me to have all the work ready for reduction at the same
time and stay on top of at least some of the variables.
see more Raku images
and NEW RAKU 2002
see WORKSHOPS
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