All Exhibitions

Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea

Three side-by-side close-ups of decorated ceramic vessels. The left-most detail shows a purplish iridescent glaze. The middle detail shows a yellow and white leaf against a pale pink glaze. The right-most detail shows a design of a leaf set against a dark reddish brown glaze.

Dates

December 9, 2023–2026
Location

Freer Gallery of Art | Gallery 20a
Collection Area

Japanese Art

Japan’s rich history of ceramic artistry developed in large part alongside the culture of drinking tea. The practice of preparing and serving matcha, powdered green tea, was called chanoyu (literally, “hot water for tea”) and gained popularity in the sixteenth century. Japanese tea practitioners initially used Chinese and Korean antique ceramics as tea bowls but began using newly made Japanese tea bowls, such as Raku ware, in the sixteenth century. Raku ware shares its name with the family that has made these ceramics in Kyoto since the sixteenth century. Unlike most tea bowls, Raku ceramics are built by hand—a process described as “knotting clay”—as opposed to using a wheel. Sixteenth-century potters are said to have collaborated closely with their tea-practitioner patrons to create distinctive vessels best-suited for tea drinking.

Over the next four centuries, a network of Japanese potters incorporated Raku techniques into their practice; these techniques were later adopted in the 1950s by the American studio pottery movement. Raku wares are now internationally recognized as a Japanese ceramic style and continue to inspire artistic creativity worldwide. Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea explores these distinctive, hand-molded ceramics and their close relationship to Japanese tea culture. This exhibition features tea bowls, water containers, and other vessels in the museum’s permanent collection that demonstrate the glazes and forms unique to Raku ware.

Art Stories | Iridescence

The low-fired iridescent glaze is perhaps the most visually striking and recognizable aspect of Raku ceramics. From shiny stones to glittering insect wings, from shimmering feathers to glistening shells, from accidental patinas to clever ceramic glazing techniques, iridescence in its various forms has captivated artists and collectors across the ages. Discover how this play of color occurs and see objects in our collections from new angles.

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Close-up view of a shimmery, reflective, bluish-purple ceramic glaze that is textured with spots and bumps.

Composite image: Tea bowl, named Ubatama (Black berry) (detail), style of Hon’ami Kōetsu (1558–1637), Japan, Kyoto prefecture, Kyoto, Edo period, 19th century, Raku ware, unknown workshop, earthenware with Black Raku glaze, F1898.437a–b; Kenzan-style Red Raku water jar with design of maple leaves and gabions (detail), imitation of Ogata Kenzan (1663–1743), Japan, Kyoto prefecture, Kyoto, Meiji era, late 19th century, Raku ware, unknown workshop, red clay; white slip, iron pigment under transparent lead glaze, F1900.118; Black Raku incense burner in “melon” shape (detail), imitation of Ogata Kenzan (1663–1743), Japan, Kyoto prefecture, Kyoto, Meiji era, 19th century, Raku ware, unknown workshop, buff clay; black glaze, copper-red glaze accent, F1907.524a–b. All three objects Gift of Charles Lang Freer, Freer Gallery of Art, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea

Dates

Location

Collection Area

Art Stories | Iridescence