Chawan Chawan Made of Aka-Raku Ware by Shoraku Sasaki with Gray Clouds

Glowing orange-red meets deep, cloud-like patches of anthracite and blue-gray – this Raku tea bowl looks as if it had visibly absorbed the fire of the kiln. The bold, almost blazing coloring stands in contrast to the calm, self-contained form typical of Aka-Raku, the red variant of Raku ware.

In the Raku firing process, the pieces are fired at a comparatively low temperature and removed rapidly from the glowing heat of the kiln, which produces the characteristic, irregular color gradations and the soft, slightly porous surface. The handcrafted, slightly irregular walls with their distinctive grip reveal the close connection between clay and the hand of the potter Shoraku Sasaki, whose formal language is expressed in the balanced proportions of the bowl.

This handcrafted tea bowl comes in a wooden box signed by the master potter and was created in the Heisei period. With its intense color effect and the warmth typical of Raku ware, it is excellently suited both for the tea ceremony and as an expressive collector's piece.