raku

'Raku' is a fun and thrilling firing process for a lot of potters, but not for this family. It is a strict tradition of 450 years which is honourable but also is a lot of pressure.

I went to Raku museum in Kyoto. The museum is right next to Raku family house and studio. They are in 15th generation at the moment and still at it. They have a heavy connection with tea ceremony since the founder of its style Rikyu Sen commissioned Chojiro (Raku family's ancestor) to make a tea bowl. Rikyu had a very own aesthetics that now known as wabi-sabi.

The family has been passing on that aesthetics as well as its spirit and producing new tea bowls (not just simple 'new', I hope you know what I mean) that would please the tea master.

In the museum I could see some pieces from the past (even one made by Chojiro) and bits of other pieces that I discovered on this visit. I was thinking more about what it's like being born into this family. What a pressure would it be that you have to have an absolute aesthetics!

京都は楽焼美術館に行ってきました。解説には作風の違いや作品の意図などが説明されていて、構えずに見る事ができて良かったです。スペースの関係上仕方ないのでしょうが、もう少し展示数あってもいいなーとは思いましたが、、、。

向こうでは楽焼きはRakuと呼ばれ、楽しい焼成方法の一つとして経験します。技法もいろんな人に研究、展開されていて、アメリカのRakuなどはほぼサイケデリックと呼びたい程えげつない色をしていて、楽焼きって一体何でしょう、、、？な疑問にかられます。利休が目指した侘びの世界は、向こうの人には日本人の美意識とほぼイコールで認知されたりするのですが、（もしくは、アニメの美意識か、、、。苦笑）日本人でも理解するのは難しいよーと言いたいです。

写真は楽家の玄関。暖簾に「ちゃわんや」と書いてあったのを撮りたかったんですが、、、。