墨爆 (Boku-Baku)

Description

墨爆 (Boku-Baku)

Appearances alone should tell you that this isn’t your normal chawan. More of an experimental piece, Boku-Baku was an exercise in pushing the limits of the archetypal black raku chawan while maintaining its functionality. This piece features a black crawling raku glaze on top of a carbonized clay body, hence the name 墨爆 (ink explosion.) The silhouette of this piece is atypical for a chawan, with taller walls that were meant to channel aroma and provide a dark, reflective surface for the bright green color of the tea to bounce off of.

Raku-yaki

Raku-yaki is one of the most esteemed forms of pottery within the Japanese world of tea, having been developed under the guidance of tea master Sen no Rikyū in the 16th century and maintaining a consistent lineage of production through to the modern day. Raku chawan are hand built rather than wheel thrown, allowing for the unique distortions of each piece to shine through the subtle glazes. Raku pieces are fired quickly and at a lower temperature than ordinary ceramics, and removed from the kiln while still red-hot. As a result of the firing process, Raku pieces are particularly fragile and best suited for ceremonial or home use.