RAKU WARE

Since the founder, Raku Chōjirō, each successive generation of the Raku family has lived through his respective era and produced his unique style of chawan (tea bowl). As expressed in Sen Rikyū’s concept of shu-ha-ri, obey-break-leave, each generation has maintained the unchanging essence in pursuit of a new artistic approach amidst the flow and the changing of the times, as in the saying, Fueki Ryūkō, unwavering yet evolving. Each generation has embraced the spirit of wabi advocated by Rikyū as a fundamental guideline, infusing it into his chawan and has continued to walk alongside with ‘cha’ (tea) over 450 years.

In 2013, the publication entitled Teihon Raku Rekidai, an English title RAKU: A Legacy of Japanese Tea Ceramics, was published as an authentic and comprehensive introduction to the tradition and the legacy passed down through Raku generations and their makings.
Now, after ten years, the 15^th generation has retired, assuming his retirement name Jikinyū, while the 16^th generation has assumed the headship as Kichizaemon XVI. In response to this, the revised edition of Teihon Raku Rekidai, now including the latest works of the 15^th and 16^th generations as well as the complete coverage of Raku’s seals, has been published anew.

This exhibition showcases the masterpieces that represent each Raku generation from the founder Chōjirō to the 16^th head Kichizaemon selected from the featured works illustrated in the revised edition. Additionally featured are the works of Hon’ami Kōetsu as well as of the three generations of Tamakizu-yaki, both maternally related to the Raku family, seen in a new light thanks to the advanced studies made for the past ten years.
We aim to overview and explore the history of Raku-yaki, the unique characteristics of its artistic style and its evolution over time.