"Tea" was born under Sen no Rikyu, and Raku ware was created by the first Raku family, Chojiro, under the supervision of Rikyu. Since then, the Raku family have always been leaders in the art of tea bowls. 

Chapter 1

Raku Sōnyū and Ogata Kenzan

This book introduces about 30 works by Soiri (Kichizaemon V) and about 25 works by his cousin, Ogata Kenzan, who left behind outstanding ceramic works.

Sonyu was adopted by the Raku family from the Ogata family, whose trade name was "Karigane-ya" (a kimono merchant whose customers in its heyday included the shogun and the imperial family), and was a cousin of Korin Ogata and Kenzan Ogata. While Kenzan Ogata left behind elegant and colorful pottery in the glamorous Genroku culture, Soiri's works returned to the wabi of Rikyu and Chojiro. Their opposing paths left a vivid impression on the times.

Chapter 2

Revisiting the Roots of Raku: Four Genetrations, Four Prespective

In this chapter, the works of four Kichizaemons who were influenced by the works of Chojiro, the first generation of the Raku family, are introduced. (The works of Kichizaemon V, introduced in the previous chapter, are excluded.)

- Chojiro, 1works

- Donyu, Kichizaemon the 3rd, 3works

- Ichinyu, Kichizaemon IV, 3works

- Ryonyu, Kichizaemon IX, 3works

- Kichizaemon XV, 3works

Comments from us

The design of the book is beautiful, and the photographs of the tea bowls by Takashi Hatakeyama are outstanding. We highly recommend this book not only to pottery enthusiasts, but also to anyone who is interested in the beautiful works of Japanese culture. The attached separate booklet contains all the contents translated into English.