RAKU
Raku is an ancient method and philosophy surrounding the making and firing of pottery, which was developed by the Japanese in the 16th century. Raku was prized by the Japanese tea masters because it is unpretentious but aesthetically pleasing and embodies the ideals of Zen Buddhism and wabi.
It was introduced to the west in the 1920s by Bernard Leech.
The American potter Paul Soldner is credited with the development of "post-firing reduction" techniques some forty years later which made raku so popular.
Raku firing lends itself to creating unique hand crafted ceramics. Each piece is removed from the gas kiln at 950oC and placed into a container half full of sawdust, paper, straw, leaves, or other dry combustable material. This catches fire spontaneously, with huge flames and great volumes of smoke. The container is sealed to produce a reducing atmosphere, but may be opened later to induce partial oxidation. The glaze crazes are blackened by the smouldering sawdust. This process is largely uncontrolled and the slight imperfections that appear in the glaze are all part of the attraction and excitement of raku glazing.
