Our raku-fired ceramics combine Japanese tradition and Öland craftsmanship. Fire and smoke create living surfaces where no two objects are alike.
We fire raku at special occasions during the year. Therefore, the range varies, and each firing results in a limited number of unique items.
Fire - air - water - clay
We have been working with Raku firing for many years, and it is still just as exciting every time. Here all the elements meet - fire, air, water and clay in one and the same process.
Raku is an ancient Japanese ceramic method. With special glazes, rapid firing and subsequent reduction, the characteristic effects emerge: crazing, shifts, metallic luster and the typical black body.
Once the glaze has dried, the objects are placed in the gas kiln outdoors and quickly fired up to approximately 900 degrees. The glowing pottery is then removed and placed in barrels filled with sawdust.
That's when it happens. The sawdust catches fire, oxygen is consumed, and a reduction occurs - this is where the unique effects are created.
Raku has its roots in 16th-century Japan. According to tradition, the potter Chojirō (長次郎) came from Korea and began working at the shogun's castle. His first preserved work is a glazed lion figure from 1574, and a few years later, the first raku bowls were created.
At this time, tea ceremonies primarily used expensive imported porcelain. The tea master Sen no Rikyū, however, wanted to highlight simplicity and accessibility. He sought utensils that everyone could own.
A simple bowl, a clean cloth, and good water – nothing more was truly needed.
Raku ware has, to this day, often retained elements of the oriental design language even in Europe and the USA.
