Black Raku, Green Matcha

Added: 2026-05-04

[00:00:04][music] >> We're in the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C. And we're looking at this beautiful centuries-old tea bowl. This is a Raku tea bowl that was made by a Raku family potter, Raku Tanyu, in the 1800s in Japan. In terms of Raku wares, what's really special about them is the fact that they're the first type of ceramic made in Japan specifically for drinking matcha. So, in terms of the colors and the shape, they're unique characteristics that were developed for the enjoyment of matcha.

[00:00:44]So, you may be familiar with this beverage. They take whole green tea leaves that have been cured after the harvest in the spring. Those are brought out in the fall season, and that's the beginning of the tea season in Japan.

[00:00:59]And I can imagine, just how beautiful that brilliant green would be against this rich, lustrous black. What's most striking about this bowl is that it is wonderfully imperfect. It feels absolutely singular. That's one very important characteristic of Raku ceramics. The potter begins with a slab of clay. They take time to really form the shape of the bowl by kneading it, building the shape with their hands, and then carving it with usually wooden or metal tools. So, as opposed to wheel-thrown objects, which are much more efficient and quick to make, the Raku potters take their time. The clay spent so much time in the hands of the artist, a lot of tea practitioners comment on how comfortable and wonderful it is to be able to hold these tea bowls in their hands. So, when it comes to these objects, it's really about the experience of drinking the tea out of these bowls and holding the bowls in your hand. And holding the bowl and admiring the bowl and being aware of the various utensils of the tea gathering is central to those events. Though you'll notice, if you look carefully at this bowl, that the Raku clay is a sandy clay that's local to Kyoto. And so, you can notice that grainy texture. But then, you'll also notice the black glaze.

[00:02:25]Black is one of the signature colors of Raku ceramics. It tends to be black and then red. And they're fired in two separate indoor muffle kilns that continue to be in operation to this day at the Raku family headquarters in Kyoto. But if you take a even closer look, you'll notice that this has three seals that have been pressed into the clay before the bowl was glazed and fired. So, there's one seal on the inside. There's one seal on the edge where it starts to curve downwards towards the foot. And then, if you flip the bowl over, on the foot there's also a seal. So, three different seals that read Raku. And this is something that the Raku potters first began to do this idea of branding ceramics with their family name. And so, it's complicated because, on the one hand, in Japan, Raku is directly associated to this family and its lineage. But outside of Japan, it has come to reference a particular low-fire technique and has become disassociated with that family lineage.

[00:03:29]In Japan, around the 18th to 19th century, there was an increased interest in Raku ceramics and techniques because of how popular these ceramics were and how widespread the preparation and drinking of matcha had become. So, there were potters who were interested in making Raku wares as competitors. This bowl is made by a known Raku family potter, Tanyu, but many bowls that are considered Raku and fired in the Edo period in Japan are actually made by potters who are not a part of that Raku family lineage. But in terms of the Raku family, they continue to uphold this lineal descent from father to son.

[00:04:12]Certain utensils that are associated with tea gatherings became so prized that they were given names. And this particular bowl has a really lovely name, which in English translates to moon in each rice field, which is a subject that can be seen in painting as well. In Japan, it's hotagotono tsuki.

[00:04:32]So, this is a personal name that was given to this Raku tea bowl. It is in reference to a famous site in Japan, which you can visit in a area called Shinano. So, what's really spectacular about this site is that there are these terraced rice fields. Usually in the spring, after the rice seedlings have been planted, tourists would flock to that site to see the full moon reflected in all of these terraced rice fields.

[00:04:59]So, there is a visual association between the appearance of the green matcha tea in this bowl and then the appearance of what you would see at those rice fields in Shinano. The surface is so lustrous, and yet there is the texture of the sand that is visible.

[00:05:17]There is soft indentation that seems perfect for the fingers to nestle in.

[00:05:22]And then, the rim is where you can really see the fact that the object is not perfectly round. Mhm. And it's not too thin. It looks like it would be just for the lips. These are all considerations that are very important that the Raku potters are very aware of because they themselves are tea practitioners. They have close relationships with tea masters of the different tea schools that are active in Japan. One very important reason why it's so comfortable to hold is because these ceramics are either fired at a slightly lower temperature than other types of tea bowls or fired for shorter period of time. So, the sand that is in this clay doesn't fully vitrify, meaning it doesn't fully turn into glass. And it also preserves the air bubbles that are in the clay. And so, it essentially insulates the hand of whoever is holding the tea bowl from the heat of the tea that is inside. These Raku ceramics are really about the enjoyment of this matcha beverage.

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