Kuro Raku Chawan by Shouraku Sasaki (small size)
About Kuro Raku
Kuro means Black in Japanese. Raku is a type of tea bowl originated by potter Chōjirō, who handmade Chawan for Sen no Rikyu to be served to the emperor Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the Tea Ceremony. Hideyoshi liked flashy and luxurious things and disliked black color. Sen no Rikyu picked black color for the tea bowl with an intention of reminding the emperor to stay humble and also discouraging wars and invasions (at the time Hideyoshi wanted to invade Korea).
Raku Yaki is known for it's soft material and hand shaping technique without using a wheel. The look of the bowl is very simple aligning to Wabi Sabi philosophy, yet many details are taken into consideration. The shape of the bowl is carefully crafted so that it can be held in hand snuggly and comfortably.
Soft clay is used to shape Raku ware, so it's a lot lighter in weight than it appears. Initiation is required before using Raku ware. Simply soak the bowl in starch water for an hour, so the fine particles will seal the micro holes in clay and make the bowl more durable; however light crack may still happen and it's a normal occurrence. Please do not use the tea bowl for any other uses than making high quality matcha.
The red highlight indicates the "front" side of the bowl, which should be turned to the guest before serving as a courtesy. The red color is not pigment - it's a special clay that would naturally turn red during the heating process. It's completely random and it's the beauty of this bowl. However since it's randomness, no two bowls are exactly the same.
Please kindly note that this is a personal sized Raku bowl (not a full size). Measurement will be updated soon.
*handcrafted in Kyoto, Japan by Shouraku Sasaki. Packed in a paper box.