Raku Ware Kiln Waraku is a Kyoto-based kiln that continues to create works centered on Raku tea bowls.

The current head of the kiln, Motoo Kawasaki, the eighth generation, grew up watching his father, the previous head, at work. After first pursuing a career as a company employee, he eventually decided to carry on the family tradition and devote himself to the path of Raku ware.

Raku tea bowls are uniquely Japanese vessels whose appeal deepens through use. They are shaped by hand without the use of a potter’s wheel, then carefully carved with a spatula so that they fit naturally in the hands. Through this process, each tea bowl becomes a one-of-a-kind piece, with no two ever exactly alike.

The distinctive firing method of Raku ware, in which each piece is fired for a relatively short period of time, prevents the clay from becoming overly hard and dense. This gives the bowls their soft touch and warm, gentle texture.

At Waraku Kiln, the tradition of the tea ceremony is carefully preserved while works are created to suit both contemporary tea gatherings and everyday life. In recent years, the kiln has also focused on producing Raku tableware, which has long been used for tea kaiseki and Japanese cuisine, and continues to share the appeal of Raku ware with audiences both in Japan and overseas.