Raku ware, or rakuyaki, is a type of Japanese pottery traditionally used
in tea ceremonies. One of the most common examples of raku ware are chanwan, or
ceremonial tea bowls. Raku ware is traditionally hand shaped, porous vessels resulting
from low firing temperatures from which the pieces are removed while still hot and left to
cool in open air. They can be glazed in a variety of styles, such as hare’s fur glaze or oil
spot glaze, but are generally dark blue or black in color often to highlight the color of the
tea held inside the vessels.