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Raku pottery was first designed and made for Buddhist Monks in Japan about 400 years ago. The process was used to make hand built vessels for the tea ceremony.

Americans are first known to have been introduced to raku in Japan in the 1930's. They brought the firing concepts and the name "raku" back to the U.S. During the 1960's, American potters experimented with post firing reduction and raku became very popular. Since then, many potters have chosen this method to express their art. Not being bound by the restraints of traditional Japanese style raku, American potters continue, even today, to adapt the raku style to their needs by experimenting with forming techniques, various metal oxides and reduction materials. Many artists prefer to call this changed process "American" raku as a way of respecting the original, traditional process and in acknowledgment of the adaptations.

The process requires the pots to be fired by raising the temperature quickly (approx. 30 mins.) to 1854 degrees F or so. At a certain point during the firing, a reduction atmosphere may be created inside the kiln. Visual cues are used to determine the stages of the process. The pots are removed from the kiln while the glaze is still molten and placed in a container with reduction materials. I use sawdust from cherry wood, cedar chips, paper and straw. The reduction material bursts into flame as soon as the pot touches it. A lid is then put on the container to cause a reduction of available oxygen. The fire draws oxygen molecules from the glaze leaving areas of metal. To stop the process, the pieces are quenched in water.