Kyoto Shoraku Kiln – Black Raku Tea Bowl with White Crane Motif

Shoraku Kiln, Kyoto, Japan | Kuro-raku Matcha Tea Bowl with Crane Motif, Black-Glazed Tea Utensil

Raku ware is one of the most representative forms of pottery in Japanese tea culture, with deep ties to the wabi-cha spirit championed by Sen no Rikyu. Compared with ceramics that pursue regularity, symmetry and lavish decoration, Raku ware places greater emphasis on the feel of the object in the hand, its natural form, and the intimate relationship between the tea bowl and its user. This bowl in the kuro-raku style is covered with a thick black glaze; the color is not a perfectly even pure black, but shifts between deep black, ink-brown and subtle luster according to the angle of the light. The rim has a natural undulation rather than a strictly perfect circle, expressing the irregular beauty prized in traditional hand-formed tea bowls.