The Raku places its origin in Japan since the sixteenth century.
This decorative technique, initially used for the tea ceremony, finds its roots and its motivations in theancient culture of the Far East when it waspermeated and influenced by Zen Buddhism and philosophy.
Raku pottery is named after one of the mostinfluential families of master potters, who had the seal of the feudal emperor to produce teapots andother tools for the houses of princes and nobles of the land of the Rising Sun. But it is only in the lastfifty years that Raku was imported into the western world. For the construction of objects can be usedevery technique known; The mixture of clay, however, must be resistant to thermal shock(refractory clay).
The most important innovation with respect to thetraditional technique is that which provides for apost reducing cooking: the piece that is, once extracted from the oven is inserted into a vessel containing sawdust. This operation starts acombustion that is quickly stifled by the ceramist,creating a 'reducing atmosphere that surrounds the piece. This process results in special effects andnuances that make each piece unique.