Front of chawan. Two characteristics of Raku bowls I love are the "waist " and the slightly turned-in rim. The rim isn't actually turned in much, it is just left thick and beveled. Leaving the rim thick helps with balance also.

Interior of the chawan. Really good citrus skin texture on this one.

Foot of the chawan. A spiral in the kodai is traditional, but I opted for a backwards yin-yang. The choice was unconscious, but appropriate. I formed this bowl while experiencing a huge disruption to my personal life.

I taught a Raku-style teabowl workshop these last two weekends. The result of a lot of clay testing, glaze formulation and learning the best way to fire our kiln. Much to my relief, the work paid off and each of the students' bowls came out great.

#raku #kuroraku #rakujawan #chawan #teaceremony #茶碗