Raku, meaning "comfort" or "enjoyment," is a pottery technique that some believe started in 16th century Japan (yes, this is paraphrased from wikipedia). It involves taking glazed pieces out of a lower temperature kiln while still hot and placing them in reduction vessels, which are essentially a large metal cooking pot filled losely with some kind of combustible material like sawdust, various types of wood, newspaper.  My experience is primarily with paper.  Using long-handled tongs, leather gloves, and heavy clothes to deflect the massive heat, the potter carefully removes glowing red pieces from the kiln and places them into the reduction vessels.  At this point the pottery ignites the combustible material and a lid is hastily thrown over the flaming metal pot, putting out the flame and creating an environment starved of oxygen.  This is where the magic happens.

 

I have heard Raku described as a process creating SURPRISE.  This is truly the case as when the lid is later opened and the pot is removed and spritzed down with water, what you have is a one-of-a-kind piece of ceramic art that could not have been predicted.  Small cracks and metallic looking splashes of color give each raku pot a character that one comes to appreciate more and more with time.

 

 

(note: the bowl here   v   in the photo is decidedly NOT raku.)