The Origin of Raku Ware

The tea bowls made by Chôjirô were initially called ima-yaki, literally "now wares", that is to say, wares produced at the present time. They were subsequently renamed juraku-yaki, "juraku wares", due to the fact that Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598), the leading warrior statesman of the time, presented Chôjirô with a seal bearing the Chinese character for Raku. The term Raku derived from Jurakudai, the name of a palace built by Hideyoshi, one of the great symbols of his age. Raku then became the name of the family that produced the wares. This is the only example in the history of a family name becoming synonymous with the ceramics they produced. Furthermore, few potter families have continued in an unbroken line in the way the Raku family has done.