A Tea bowls is beyond any value.

"Under a generous flow of lava, on a boiling earth comes the first diluted rays of life and sky. It is a joyous world birth cacophony, a volcanic concerto with a soft texture. To this, Sasaki-sensei added his gold trail, the trail of his smile, that which the sun pours everyday on his workshop. I must admit that, for the very first time, beyond his genius and his skills, I could witness my master's joy in his work."

Kyoshitsu Sasaki Shouraku

Mr. Sasaki is the fourth generation of a family of potters to practice the Kurinuki and Raku firing of Chawans. His family has been given the name "ShouRaku" by the Japanese authorities, the inclusion of the character "Raku" implying that the family's work is recognized as very important for the traditions and evolutions of Japanese arts. To this day, only seven families have received the name "Raku" in Japan.

The artist name Kyoshitsu means "Empty Room" in Japanese. Just like the technique of the Kurinuki, it implies that Sasaki aims at emptying his mind. It is at the heart of the Zen practice of meditation. This name has been given to him by one of the high-priest of Daitokuji in Kyoto, one of the most important Zen temples of Japan.

Sasaki fires his Tea bowls with extreme care. No more than 5 at a time in a gas oven. Today, his works have been recognized in Japan by the highest tea masters of the main schools and by the artistic community as leading works to bridge the gap between tradition and modernity.

The current Shoraku inherited that name from his father in 1962. Sothis work is made by the IV generation.

Any wonderful Kuro Raku-yaki Chawan (black raku tea bowl) you see in my website is part of the collection of a Japanese master-calligrapher also known for his pottery. He can be called chawan ' ya and named Sasaki Shoraku. Many easy to find are from Sasaki Shoraku third generation potter from Kyoto. The Shoraku kiln was established near the world known Kiyomizu temple in eastern Kyoto by the founder of the Shoraku lineage. In 1945, it was moved to Kameoka, near the Kyoto Yada shrine, whose head priest gave Shoraku his name. That is the kiln the famous mystic and artist Deguchi Onisaburo (1871-1948) used to make his spectacular Raku tea bowls.

These bowl made by Sasaki III are well made replica of many chawan made by Chojiro ( - 1592), the forebear of the Raku family of potters, who created the genre with tea master Sen Rikyu (1522-1591).