Today is my first day in Japan, and after waking up at 4 am, due to jet lag, I began my day. During lunch my Dad and I met up with some people involved in my senior project. I owe pretty much all of this to Kenji, a restorer of painting who got me in touch with a ceramics master representative. All four of us had lunch and discussed schedules. We then headed of to Kyoto's Raku Gallery.
The museum was actually amazing. Raku is a sort of ceramic ware that was started by the potter Chojiro, around the 1570's. The new type of pottery had a style particular to that of Japan and was different from the style centering on Chinese style. In Japan, tea is part of the culture and the chanoyu (the japanese tea ceremony) is considerately influential. Raku ceramic ware has become specific in Japanese culture to tea bowls, and is not considered for everyday use. The way these tea bowls are made require skill and patience. This specific type of Raku ware does not use a potters wheel. Clay is kneaded by hand and delicately scraped off to decide its form. Each clay piece is then fired separately.
After getting some more information on the whole process the representative drove us to the place where I will be working for next few weeks. In the middle of the Gyon historic district lies a little, family run studio. The master works with his younger brother and his son, who fortunately speaks English and French.
So, the picture I have is of a handmade tea bowl that is Raku fired. Its traditional to the tea ceremony and was a gift for me. The bowl comes in a box and it is custom for each individually unique tea bowl to have a name. The picture of the box top contains the name. I start work bright and early 8 am tomorrow morning and continue until 5pm.
