Raku: Traditions and Innovations
A Senior Honors Exhibition
by
Meredith McGriff
Vance Bell, Thesis Advisor
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana
April, 2007
Expected Graduation Date: July 21,2007
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Abstract
This thesis represents the culmination of my experiences as a double major in Ceramics and
Japanese. As a Ceramics major, I was required to create a body of work for a senior
exhibition. However, I felt it important that I utilize skills gained in both major areas, and
therefore I chose to present the exhibition in both Japanese and English. This included
creating a postcard for advertising the exhibition, as well as writing a brief history of Raku
(the Japanese ceramic technique which I focused on) and an artist statement, all of which
were displayed during the exhibition. The body of ceramic work consists of 11 handbuilt
sculptural ceramic pieces fired in the Raku tradition. Each piece is titled in both languages,
and during the exhibition all labels included information in both Japanese and English.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Vance Bell for being my advisor and always pushing me to do my best,
Sadatoshi Tomizawa and Guohe Zheng for giving their time to help me with the challenge
of writing in Japanese, my parents for their enduring love, support, and encouragement, my
friends for keeping me sane when all the work seemed overwhelming, and of course, my
many teachers and professors through the years who have taught me to love Japan, ceramics,
and above all, learning.
Postcard
The History of Raku
Raku is a type of traditional ceramics which is unique to Japan. In the Momoyama era (15 th
cent.) a man called Senno Rikyo developed and spread the tea ceremony, which was based
in Zen Buddhism. Senno Rikyu met the master potter Chojiro, and guided him in making
teacups for the tea ceremony. Therefore, Raku directly reflects the ideas of the tea ceremony.
Senno Rikyu was set up at Shurakudai, the mansion built for the statesman Toyotomi
Hideyoshi. Because of Rikyu, Chojiro began using the earth that was used for constructing
the walls of Shurakudai. It became that Chojiro's pottery was called "Shuraku yaki chawan,"
after the name of the mansion. Because of this, Toyotomi Hideyoshi gave Chojiro the honor
of using the name "Raku."
Traditional Raku is not formed using the wheel, but is created by hand and also by using a
rib/spatula tool. While modeling, one tries to keep in mind the Zen idea of "mu," or
nothingness. Raku was used to make utencils for the tea ceremony such as teacups, vases,
finger bowls, incense burners, etc. Black and red raku are the two kinds of traditional raku,
and they are made using different clays. Raku is fired at a low temperature (1000'). The soft
texture of the completed pot expresses "wabi-sabi," Japanese the idea of beauty in simplicity.
Even now, raku continues to be made. There have been 15 generations of the Raku family.
Raku has also spread far to foreign countries. In the 20 th century, a potter named Bernard
Leech went to Japan. He saw various kinds of traditional Japanese ceramics, and studied raku.
After returning to England, he wrote books about Japanese ceramics and taught raku. Then,
in America, the potter Paul Soldner read Leech's books, and started making raku. One day,
after taking the pot out of the kiln, he dropped it into combustible material. Since the pot
was hot, the combustibles burned and caused the glaze to change color. He liked that unique
brilliance, and henceforth always put his pots in combustibles - this process is called postfiring reduction, and it became the standard for American raku. American raku is much
brighter than traditional Raku. Also, since Leech and Soldner didn't know the tea ceremony,
a variety of forms are made in the West. Raku has become very popular in the Western
world. Today, in both Japan and America, raku is a famous ceramic art, and it is also an
amateur's simple ceramic hobby.
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Raku: Traditions and Innovations
Artist Statement
When I was young, I was introduced to two concepts which greatly influenced my art. The
flrst concept is Japanese aesthetics. At only 13 years old, I had the opportunity to travel to
Japan, and I immediately fell in love with the language and culture. As my interest in art has
developed, I have also been drawn to Japanese aesthetics. The second concept which
influences my work is Celtic design, particularly the knot work. It began with a simple
school assignment to create a Celtic knot, but I soon found myself almost obsessively
sketching these designs. I am still fascinated by the challenge of creating one inflnite,
twisting, overlapping line, and I often attempt to achieve the same types of curves and
connections in my ceramic work.
Both Japanese and Celtic art have a strong connection to nature, and it is possible that part
of the reason I am drawn to these cultures is because I enjoy the outdoors. My pots,
therefore, are based on natural forms such as flowers, birds, water droplets, and the human
flgure. My goal, however, is not to recreate these natural forms, but to capture the beauty of
their curves. I feel that the soft clay is a very sensual medium, and with it I desire to create
gentle, subtle, and sensual forms. I have chosen to focus on coil building because I want to
explore the many possibilities of similar yet unique asymmetrical forms I can create. I feel
that coil building is a very enjoyable, meditative process.
While working with the clay, I am careful to create smooth curves and intentional creases.
The flring process I have chosen, however, has an opposite atmosphere of excitement and
uncertainty. I enjoy the fact that I can choose a particular glaze knowing the general colors
and surfaces it is capable of producing, and yet still not knowing exactly how the smoke will
interact with each particular pot in the post-flring reduction process. I am also very
interested in the differences between Western cultures and Japanese culture, so the two
different glazes that I use in my work often represent that dichotomy. As a double major in
Japanese and Ceramics, I believe raku flring is the perfect culmination of my studies, because
I can combine my love of Japanese culture, art, and language with my artistic endeavors in
clay.
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Index of Work Included in the Exhibit
Title
Approximate Height
Blossoms Bring Storms
13"
East / West
9.5"
Emerge I
6.5"
Emerge II
8.5"
Flow
9.5"
Intertwine
12"
Ripple
11.5"
Spiderweb
7"
Tender
12"
Woman
lOS'
Zen
lOS'
51ossoms
5ring Storms
11S~~il
Last/West
*/W
Emerge
II
twJ1E
(=)
Flow
~frEn
Intertwine
~~7}~)o­
!J'I=f cry-- l=l
J
Woman
R
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