About Raku... or Rakuyaki. [That which sits comfortably and has pleasure]
This term originally referred to a type of earthenware used in the japanese tea ceremony which came to prominance in the 16th century. It was the philosophy of the Zen masters that identified a sense of 'no mind' in the tea vessels. It was of great importance that the maker of these vessels no longer thought about its making in order to give a sense of 'just coming into being'.
These tea ceremony vessels capture an essence of nature that the Japanese refer to as 'wabi sabi', interpretations of which are complicated by a cultural divide. Some describe as possessing a rustic worn poverty with a sense of isolation, a wintery feel, of subdued taste with a value in imperfection and suggestion of beaty that only comes with use.
