Raku Pottery

Raku pottery dates back to 16th century Japan, and the firing technique has changed very little since. The process begins by creating a piece out of clay and firing it once to turn it into a bisque ware piece. Once the piece is in this bisque stage, the Raku glaze can be applied. Raku glazes are specifically formulated only for this firing process. The firing process begins by heating the pieces up to 1,800 degrees in the Raku kiln. Once the pieces reach peak temperature, they are carefully pulled out of the kiln using tongs. At this stage the pieces are so hot that they glow a bright orange. These super hot pieces are then placed in reduction chambers so that the glazes can set. Reduction chambers are cavities filled with combustible material that are tightly covered. This is done to reduce the amount of oxygen and increase the amount of carbon that the pieces are exposed to as they cool. All of these steps create the brilliant flared lusters and trademark crackles that make Raku pottery so unique.

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