Inspiration: Japanese Tea Ceremony

Chanoyu and Chawan +Raku!

"What are the factors that define a worthy chawan? This surely is a question open to debate, yet most will agree upon this: It has to be a well-balanced, pleasantly-weighted form that brings together all aspects of composition from the way the lip is angled, to the curves of the body and how that will influence the inner “pool,” all the way down to the underside where the kodai-foot is carved."

Raku 
noun, often attributive ra·ku \ˈrä-(ˌ)kü\
​
1) Japanese hand-modeled pottery that is fired at a low temperature and rapidly cooled
2) a process by which pottery is fired at a relatively low temperature and then moved while hot to a closed container with combustible materials (as paper or sawdust) that ignite and cause a reaction creating colors and patterns in the pottery's surface; also :  pottery produced using this process

Guest artist, DAVID CAMDEN, will help you learn to throw a tea bowl (chawan) on the potter’s wheel. After making a tea bowl, trimming its foot, and glazing it, you will fire it with a process called RAKU. Raku is a traditional Japanese firing technique that results in beautiful and somewhat random colors and patterns. Most stunning is the white crackle glaze with its black primary and secondary crackle patterns. The metallic glazes - like copper - are also quite beautiful as well. The chance you take on the wheel and with the raku process lends itself well to the Japanese concept of WABI SABI. Through these processes, you will learn to appreciate naturally occurring imperfections and to cherish the beauty of what nature and chance offers. 

The slideshow below presents raku chawan made by Art 2 students:

GOALS OF THIS PROJECT:

1. Understand the importance of the tea ceremony (CHANOYU) and the reverence of CHAWAN to the Japanese culture.
2. Understand and recognize the "JAPANESE AESTHETIC and how it differs from that of Western cultures.
3. Throw a tea bowl on the wheel - in so doing, get a feel for the focus and mental clarity needed to "center" the clay. 
4. Understand the main steps in wheel-throwing, including the importance of clean-up procedures and use of specific tools and equipment.
5. Learn how to trim your tea bowl to give it a "foot" and a finished feel, which supports the overall aesthetic; sign the bottom.
6. Consider how your tea bowl can be decorated before the bisque firing - add underglaze? incising/sgraffito? impression/texture (sand, rice, etc.)?  appliqué? (if not, do not worry, you can do beautiful things with the underglazes/glazes/masking after the bisque firing....but your color, texture, pattern choices should support the overall theme of your work).
7. Understand how clay turns to a ceramic material (pay close attention to that handout you were given) and the RAKU firing process.
8. Additionally, hand built chawan and other forms will be created, using a variety of clay techniques and the open-ended possibilities for experimentation and personal expression as inspired by both traditional and contemporary Japanese ceramics.

Here is a video of a chawan being thrown on the wheel. Notice the steps in the process, including trimming the foot. Why are they called "singing tea bowls"?

Traditionally, chawan were NOT made on the potter's wheel, they were modeled by hand. You will do both, so watch these videos as well. Do you know what the wheel they are working on is called?

Look at TAKURA KUWATA's contemporary take on the chawan. Does his work give you any ideas?

You can also experiment with building other vessels similar to those used in the tea ceremony. Look at images here:

• Mizusashi - a lidded jar used to hold water for pouring into the tea kettle
• Natsume - a container used to hold powdered tea

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​CURIOUS? LEARN MORE:

• WHAT IS THE JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY (CHANOYU)?
• ABOUT RAKU WARE (RAKUYAKI)
• ICHI-GO ICHI-E
• KINTSUGI: The Art of Broken Pieces​​