Janet Kaiser on sun 17 nov 02
Please could any Raku officienados and historians give me some input on the
following text (see below)? It is being submitted for an exhibition
starting in Belgium next week and I have some concerns/doubts about the
validity of some of the statements, so would welcome feedback a.s.a.p. I am
officially only "editing" the English, but the content has me worried.
Many thanks!
And yes, the "wood curls" are shavings... Sweet translation, eh? :-)
Sincerely
Janet Kaiser
ORIGINAL TEXT:
Raku
Raku means in Japanese: enjoyment, satisfaction.
The technique is developed at the end of the sixteenth century.
It has its origin in Persia and Egypt but it was further developed in
Japan.
The raku- firing was and is in Japan a part of the tea-ceremony.
This technique became more and more popular into the West since the 60's.
The introduction of the secondary reduction by the American Paul Solner
led to the breakthrough of the Raku technique.
After the firing in the raku-kiln, the pieces are taken out.
Because of the thermal shock (hot-cold) the glaze begins to craze.
After it, the pots are placed into a barrel , in which have bun placed
pieces of wood and other inflammable material(like wood-curls), to smoke
them.
The high t=B0 of the pot itself , the material starts burning which leads
to a high concentration of smoke.
Afterwards we put some extra wood-curls on it and close the barrel
By closing the barrel the oxygen disappears totally .
This technique is called secondary reduction .
Because of the smoke-process all non-glazed parts and little cracks become
black which results into the typical raku-look .
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art =95 Capel Celfyddyd
8 Marine Crescent, Criccieth LL52 0EA, Wales, UK
Tel: 01766-523570 URL: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
WALLY ASSELBERGHS on mon 18 nov 02
Janet,
Do you have any information where-when this Belgian
exhibition is planned ? Nothing in local ceramic
press over here.....
Any name-phone-website-mailaddress of this
organisation ?
I have very strong doubts about the Persian-Egyptian
origin of Raku. As far as I know, it was started some
400 years ago by a Korean potter "imported" to
Japan....
I think there is some confusion with "Egyptian Paste"
in this case, which was originally devellopped in
Persia and later Egypt.
Regarding the "text" itself, it looks as it was
translated from French by a
computer-translation-programm.... Is this correct
????
Best regards,
Wally Asselberghs
Belgium
-- In clayart@y..., Janet Kaiser wrote:
> Please could any Raku officienados and historians
give me some input on the
> following text (see below)? It is being submitted
for an exhibition
> starting in Belgium next week and I have some
concerns/doubts about the
> validity of some of the statements, so would welcome
feedback a.s.a.p. I am
> officially only "editing" the English, but the
content has me worried.
>
> Many thanks!
>
> And yes, the "wood curls" are shavings... Sweet
translation, eh? :-)
>
> Sincerely
>
> Janet Kaiser
>
> ORIGINAL TEXT:
>
> Raku
>
> Raku means in Japanese: enjoyment, satisfaction.
> The technique is developed at the end of the
sixteenth century.
> It has its origin in Persia and Egypt but it was
further developed in
> Japan.
> The raku- firing was and is in Japan a part of the
tea-ceremony.
> This technique became more and more popular into the
West since the 60's.
> The introduction of the secondary reduction by the
American Paul Solner
> led to the breakthrough of the Raku technique.
> After the firing in the raku-kiln, the pieces are
taken out.
> Because of the thermal shock (hot-cold) the glaze
begins to craze.
> After it, the pots are placed into a barrel , in
which have bun placed
> pieces of wood and other inflammable material(like
wood-curls), to smoke
> them.
> The high t° of the pot itself , the material starts
burning which leads
> to a high concentration of smoke.
> Afterwards we put some extra wood-curls on it and
close the barrel
> By closing the barrel the oxygen disappears totally
.
> This technique is called secondary reduction .
> Because of the smoke-process all non-glazed parts
and little cracks become
> black which results into the typical raku-look .
>
> Janet Kaiser
>
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Janet Kaiser on mon 18 nov 02
Hi Wally
I believe it is on/from Friday, in Brugge. I will ask Marie-Anne the exact
location, times, etc. I don't have other contact details, so will mail her
immediately to ask who is hosting the event! And yes, the translation is
probably either from Flemish or French -- I am not sure which. I don't know
whether she uses a computer programme or not... I am quite used to her
unique "style" :-)
But as she is going to use the text for her web site too, I thought she
should be gently corrected on the content and not just the syntax! :-) And
I quite agree! As far as I have ever heard, read or been told, Raku was a
Korean "invention" introduced to Japan to make roof tiles and then
developed much later to include chawans (tea bowls) and the likes. Nothing
at all to do with Egypt or Persia, although you could well be right about
the Egyptian Paste...
Secondly, I have also never heard this before: "The raku- firing was and is
in Japan a part of the tea-ceremony". Surely not?! I know it can be a very
long ceremony, but this variation would take it to new and untold lengths!
Thirdly: Paul Soldner was surely only one of several who developed
"American Style Raku"? As far as I know, Bernard Leach was responsible for
bringing the Raku technique (ware which may or may not be reduced. Often
oxidized, often painted and air cooled) to the West and Piepenberg and
others (including Soldner) "took it from there"...? Surely water quenching
came first and then the sawdust, leaves and peat followed...?
Lastly it is a bit of a mis-representation to say "Raku means in Japanese:
enjoyment, satisfaction." It is the Japanese characters for Raku which
Leach said meant "enjoyment" a "conscious return to the direct and
primitive treatment of clay". That is not a "translation" of the family
name Raku in the same sense.
Those were the four main criticisms I had, but I needed some moral support.
It is a long time since I investigated the origins and time can blur
memory! I would hate any more mis-conceptions to appear anywhere,
especially the Internet, but checking here was the fastest way! Marie-Anne
says she needs it by Friday and TEMPUS FUGIT...
Thanks again to Terry S., Tom B., Wally and William S. for your input.
There seems to be a consensus of opinion on the Persian angle... Now what
about the other points?
And what about the "secondary reduction"? Isn't the reduction she means (in
sawdust) here, primary? And surely it is more accurate to call it
carbonisation, not reduction anyway? Especially when it is explaining about
the blackening of unglazed parts?
Sincerely
Janet Kaiser
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********
On 18/11/02 at 04:05 WALLY ASSELBERGHS wrote:
>Janet,
>Do you have any information where-when this Belgian
>exhibition is planned ? Nothing in local ceramic
>press over here.....
>Any name-phone-website-mailaddress of this
>organisation ?
>
>I have very strong doubts about the Persian-Egyptian
>origin of Raku. As far as I know, it was started some
>400 years ago by a Korean potter "imported" to
>Japan....
>I think there is some confusion with "Egyptian Paste"
>in this case, which was originally devellopped in
>Persia and later Egypt.
>Regarding the "text" itself, it looks as it was
>translated from French by a
>computer-translation-programm.... Is this correct????
>Best regards,
>Wally Asselberghs
>Belgium
>
>>
>> ORIGINAL TEXT:
>>
>> Raku
>>
>> Raku means in Japanese: enjoyment, satisfaction.
>> The technique is developed at the end of the sixteenth century.
>> It has its origin in Persia and Egypt but it was further developed in
>> Japan.
>> The raku- firing was and is in Japan a part of the tea-ceremony.
>> This technique became more and more popular into the West since the
60's.
>> The introduction of the secondary reduction by the American Paul Solner
>> led to the breakthrough of the Raku technique.
>> After the firing in the raku-kiln, the pieces are taken out.
>> Because of the thermal shock (hot-cold) the glaze begins to craze.
>> After it, the pots are placed into a barrel , in which have bun placed
>> pieces of wood and other inflammable material(like wood-curls), to smoke
>> them.
>> The high t=B0 of the pot itself , the material starts burning which
leads
>> to a high concentration of smoke.
>> Afterwards we put some extra wood-curls on it and close the barrel
>> By closing the barrel the oxygen disappears totally.
>> This technique is called secondary reduction.
>> Because of the smoke-process all non-glazed parts and little cracks
become
>> black which results into the typical raku-look.
******************************************************
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art =95 Capel Celfyddyd
8 Marine Crescent, Criccieth LL52 0EA, Wales, UK
Tel: 01766-523570 URL: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
Elizabeth Herod on tue 19 nov 02
I had always heard about raku long before I started working with clay. (I
grew up in Japan, and my mother is a teacher and instructor in Ikebana). A=
s
you can imagine, the container that one uses for Ikebana is just as
important as the arrangement. Raku vessels are prized, so therein lies the
foundation for my interest in raku.
I really don=B9t want to disagree with anyone, so here are what some Japanese
web sites say about raku.
http://www.asia-art.net/jap_ceramic.html
This is good. It=B9s about the history of ceramics in Japan.
http://www.raku-yaki.or.jp/
>>This is a home page for THE RAKU MUSEUM situated in Kyoto, Japan.
The Raku Museum is the unique specialisitic museum of Raku ware exhibiting =
a
collection of Raku pieces handed down by the Raku family, a ceramic dynasty
of 450 years' history and making further studies on this subject.
The origin of 'Raku' ware, which is now known worldwide rather as a ceramic
techinique, was founded by Raku Chojiro in the 16th century Japan to be
transmitted up to the present through the 15 generations of Raku potters as
a unique ceramic tradition.
This home page is to give the introduction of the history and the artistic
developments of Raku ware starting from the founder, Chojiro, to the presen=
t
15th generation Kichizaemon and to inform you of coming exhibitions at the
Raku Museum.<<
http://netra.glendale.cc.ca.us/ceramics/mountfuji.html
This page comes from a class on the history of ceramics.
Beth
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