Raku is one of the most exciting things about doing pottery. It is immediate and (usually) gratifying. Raku as we know it today is an adaptation from the ancient Japanese method for quickly firing pots. It consists of putting bisque-fired vessels into a raku kiln (a kiln which can be opened while still very hot), firing up to around 850C then pulling the pots out and placing them in a “reduction chamber” where oxygen is eliminated and then placing in water to cool. The vessels hiss, jump and squirm in the water as they cool down. The thermal energy is evident on the surface of the vessels after they are scrubbed clean. There are several techniques within the raku genre such as “naked”; sagger fired and obvara. No two pots are ever the same.

Raku is one of the most exciting things about doing pottery. It is immediate and (usually) gratifying. Raku as we know it today is an adaptation from the ancient Japanese method for quickly firing pots. It consists of putting bisque-fired vessels into a raku kiln (a kiln which can be opened while still very hot), firing up to around 850C then pulling the pots out and placing them in a “reduction chamber” where oxygen is eliminated and then placing in water to cool. The vessels hiss, jump and squirm in the water as they cool down. The thermal energy is evident on the surface of the vessels after they are scrubbed clean. There are several techniques within the raku genre such as “naked”; sagger fired and obvara. No two pots are ever the same.