Raku is pottery that is pulled out of the kiln while it's still glowing hot. That one dramatic step is behind everything collectors love about it: crackled glazes, smoky black clay and metallic colors that flash copper, violet and blue. Here's where raku came from, how the Western version differs from the Japanese original and what to look for when you find a piece.
What raku is
Most pottery is left to cool slowly inside the kiln, often for a day or more. Raku is fired quickly at a low temperature, then lifted out red-hot with tongs. The sudden change in temperature shocks the glaze and the clay, and what the potter does in the next few minutes decides how the piece looks. No two firings come out the same, so every raku piece is one of a kind.
Where it came from
Raku began in Kyoto, Japan, in the late 1500s. A potter named Chōjirō made simple, hand-shaped tea bowls for the tea master Sen no Rikyū, who wanted quiet, humble bowls for the tea ceremony. The ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi later gave the family a seal carved with the character raku, a word usually translated as enjoyment or ease, and it became the family's name. The Raku family has made tea bowls in Kyoto ever since, for more than fifteen generations.
Traditional Japanese raku bowls are shaped by hand instead of on a wheel, glazed in black or red, and left to cool in the open air after they come out of the kiln.
How raku came West
The British potter Bernard Leach first saw raku firing at a gathering in Tokyo in 1911 and later described it in his writing, which introduced the idea to Western potters. The look most people picture today came later. Around 1960 the American potter Paul Soldner began taking his pots from the kiln and setting them in leaves and other things that burn. The smoke and the lack of oxygen changed the clay and the glazes in ways the traditional method didn't, and American raku was born.
What happens after the kiln
- Crackle: the hot glaze shrinks fast in the cooler air and breaks into a web of fine lines.
- Smoke: the piece goes into a container of sawdust, leaves or newspaper, which catches fire. Smoke turns bare clay gray to black and darkens the crackle lines.
- Metallic color: glazes that contain copper react when the fire uses up the oxygen around the piece. Instead of plain green, the copper flashes into penny copper, red, gold, violet, teal and blue.
Finishes you'll see
- White crackle: a glossy white glaze with black lines, the classic studio raku look.
- Copper luster: a shiny or satin metallic surface that shifts color as you turn it in the light.
- Copper matte: a dry, velvety surface with rainbow flashes of color.
- Naked raku: no glaze left on the surface at all, only smoke patterns on smooth clay.
- Horsehair: thin black squiggles burned onto the hot clay with strands of horsehair. It's a close cousin of raku and usually sold alongside it.
How to recognize raku
- Bare clay that is gray or black from the smoke, usually on the foot and inside.
- A light, slightly coarse clay body. Raku clay has gritty material mixed in to help it survive the shock.
- Crackle lines that are dark instead of clear.
- Metallic or iridescent color that changes with the angle of the light.
- A signature or mark scratched into the base. Most Western raku is studio pottery made by an individual artist.
Is it Japanese raku or studio raku?
Nearly all the raku you'll find at estate sales and in vintage shops is Western studio raku made from the 1960s onward. Japanese Raku ware is mostly tea bowls, quiet in color, without the smoke markings and metallic flash. Both are real raku. They are two branches of the same idea.
What to check before you buy
- Run a fingertip around the rim and foot. Raku clay is softer than most pottery and chips easily.
- Tell crackle from cracks. Crackle sits in the glaze. A real crack runs through the clay, and you can usually see it inside and out.
- Look at the color under good light. Dull, brownish patches on a copper finish can mean the luster has faded.
- Turn it over and look for a signature. Many are hard to read or belong to local potters who were never documented, and an unidentified mark is normal.
Using and caring for raku
Raku is for display. The clay stays porous, so most pieces will not hold water and should not be used for food or drink. For fresh flowers, set a glass or liner inside, or use dried stems. Dust with a soft, dry cloth and skip water, cleaners and polish. Copper finishes can slowly dull over the years, and sunlight and damp air speed that up, so keep a favorite piece out of direct sun.
Raku in the shop
We currently have a large signed raku vase with an iridescent copper luster finish. You can also browse our vintage home decor for more one-of-a-kind pieces. Every piece is the only one we have.