[Shouraku SASAKI]
A Rakuyaki potter.
Their history began in 1905, a pottery painter Kichinosuke Sasaki (the first generation ) started to learn Rakuyaki pottery and opened his pottery studio “Shourakuan” in front of the gate of Kiyomizudera temale in Kyoto.
His son succeeded Shouraku Sasaki, and moved his studio to Kameoka City where present Shourakuan studio locates in.
The third generation master was born in 1944 as the son of the second. He learned Rakiyaki methods under his father after he graduated from Kyoto Pottery School in 1962. In 1979, he succeeded his father’s name.
The third generation master is good at making copies of famous Rakuyaki tea bowls made by Raku Choujirou and so on. He mainly make Aka-Raku (red Rakuyaki) and Kuro-Raku (black Rakuyaki) tea utensils with traditional methods.
[Raku ware]
Japanese lead-glazed earthenware, originally invented in 16th-century Kyōto. Quite distinct from wares that preceded it, raku represents an attempt to arrive at a new kind of beauty by deliberate repudiation of existing forms. The shape of the vessels is extremely simple: a wide, straight-sided bowl set on a narrow base. Because raku wares are molded entirely by hand, each piece expresses the individuality of the maker's hand; and pieces tend to be unique creations. The glaze colours include dark brown, light orange-red, straw colour, green, and cream etc.