Matcha bowl / Akaraku "Muichimon" Shôraku

Raku-yaki red-brown matcha bowl made by Shôraku Sasaki III (1944-) from the Shoraku kiln in Kyoto.

This tea bowl is a reproduction of "Muichimotsu", a representative example of Chojiro's red Raku tea bowl. Chojiro I, the founder of Raku ceramics, was one of Kyoto's leading potters of the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1603). Raku ceramics are characterized by the production techniques of "tezukune" molding (hand kneading) and low temperature firing (750°C - 1200°C) in a small kiln. Tezukune molding is a method of making pottery that involves kneading clay by hand without using a potter's wheel, then shaping it by scraping it with a spatula.