Focus on Japanese Craft: Raku Ware and the Aesthetic of Wabi-Sabi

January 17th, 2012 at 08:00am Erica

Only in Japan would a cracked and slightly misshapen tea cup be seen as a symbol of the nation’s cultural and aesthetic legacy. These works are known commonly as Raku ware, due to the firing process and its traditional ties to the Japanese tea ceremony. Historically, it was pioneered by the potter Chojiro in the 16^th century who showed these distinct ceramics to his mentor, Tea Ceremony Master Sen-no-Rikyu. This man understood that the grace and simplicity of the tea utensil was inherent in the tea ceremony itself. That a simple object could encapsulate the very meaning and aesthetic of such an esteemed ritual is why the appreciation and tradition of raku continues today.

During the raku process, the item is fired at a high temperature, and then is abruptly taken out to be placed in a sealed container with combustible materials, during which oxygen deprivation and smoke cause interesting colors and metallic spots to develop. Afterwards, the ceramic is placed in open air or water to cool. Here is an example of traditional raku ware.

A core aesthetic in Raku ware is wabi-sabi, an ideal of beauty in things aged, worn and imperfect. Raku ware artists do no believe in do-overs if their ceramics come out cracked or misshapen—in fact, these works are shown with pride due to their ‘purity’ of form, and because they are unpretentious and unique.  Ironically, it was the wealthy samurai and nobility in Japan’s early modern period that prized this rustic patina, believing it to hold profound wisdom and beauty.

Raku is extremely relevant in today’s design climate, where attitudes towards production have shifted from machine-created technical perfection to more individual, unique works whose beauty is often in its slight quirks. For examples, look no further than our own show, Beauty in All Things. Artists such as Toshiko Takaezu have each created pieces that celebrate the spontaneous, the asymmetrical and the natural.

Set of Three Vessels, ca. 1995

Scholars are quick to point out that the technical process of creating raku ware does not necessary equate the work with the term’s full meaning: there is indeed an emotional understanding of raku that overlaps with a sense of bitter-sweetness. To look at a raku tea pot is to appreciate life’s imperfections, its transience and its vulnerability. Yet equally so, the term raku means happiness, pleasure and ease, due to the feeling of enjoyment one gets from being able to share a cup of tea with a friend.

To learn more about raku ware, visit the website for Japan’s Raku Museum. MAD also has a number of raku ware pieces by Paul Soldner, who adapted and popularized the technique in the West. Read a great article about American Raku artists here! Want to try raku yourself? This site has some helpful technical details. Lastly, be sure to visit MAD’s show on contemporary Japanese design, Beauty in All Things.

Entry Filed under: beauty in all things