Teabowl entitled Summer Festival Music

At first glance, its uneven shape seems spontaneous; but in fact this teabowl is carefully considered, with a form and size that fits comfortably into two hands and a smooth lip for drinking green tea (matcha). The teabowl looks heavy, but it is surprisingly light. During the hot summer months, hosts of tea gatherings often choose shallow teabowls such as this one to quickly dissipate the heat of the tea. Compared to high-fired teabowls, this type of low-fired teabowl, called Raku ware, does not conduct as much heat. This makes it ideal for serving hot tea. The bowl’s black glaze would also enhance the color of matcha inside it. As opposed to being wheel thrown, Raku teabowls are traditionally molded by hand before being fired one at a time in small cylindrical kilns.

The term Raku refers to glazed teabowls made by the Raku family of Kyoto, and by extension to similar wares made by other potters. The history of Raku ware goes back to Raku Chojiro (1516–1592), the son of a roof-tile maker. Sen no Rikyu (1520/2–1591), a famous tea master, purportedly requested Chojiro to create teabowls suitable to his austere and rustic tea aesthetics. The Raku family has continued to produce teabowls in Kyoto since the 1500s. It has worked in close relationship with the three Sen families (the three major schools of Japanese tea practice that followed Rikyu) for generations.

The Raku family has continued to produce teabowls in Kyoto since the 1500s. It has worked in close relationship with the three Sen families (the three major schools of Japanese tea practice that followed Rikyu) for generations. Today, Raku Kichizaemon XV (b. 1949) continues the Raku ware tradition. His craft has been a closely guarded family secret with unchanged basic techniques passed down to the present day.

This black teabowl is attributed to Raku Sonyu (1664–1716), the fifth-generation Raku family potter. Before it was sent to the United States, this vessel previously belonged to Nintokusai (active 1801–1826), the tenth-generation grand master of Urasenke, one of the three Sen schools of tea. Nintokusai named the bowl Natsukagura (Summer Festival Music). It is a common practice that an artist, owner, or tea master give poetic names to tea utensils. Naming indicates that tea practitioners consider a piece a one-of-a- kind artwork rather than a utilitarian tea vessel. When given by a well-respected person, these names could significantly increase the value of the objects.