Artists

Yoshimura Rakunyū

Yoshimura Rakunyū (吉村楽入) is a Raku ware workshop in Kyōto, now in its third generation, producing tea bowls for the tea ceremony.

Published on: Jul 2, 2025

Chawan made of Raku ware by Yoshimura Rakunyū: hand-shaped tea bowl. — Raku ware chawan from the workshop of Yoshimura Rakunyū (吉村楽入), Kyōto (detail)

In a nutshell

Yoshimura Rakunyū (吉村楽入) refers to a Raku ware pottery workshop in Kyōto and, at the same time, to the name borne by its successive generations of potters. The kiln is called Rakunyū-gama. The founder began making Raku ware tea bowls after the war, initially as a sideline business; the second-generation successor expanded the range to include further tea utensils and figures, and in 1979 established the workshop as a company. The current, third-generation successor has, since 1993, additionally borne the house name Manpukudō, which was granted to the family during the Taishō era by a Zen master of Kennin-ji.

Yoshimura Rakunyū (吉村楽入): Raku Workshop in Kyōto

Yoshimura Rakunyū (吉村楽入) is both the name of a pottery workshop and the name borne by its successive generations of masters. What is produced there is Raku ware – hand-built, formed without a potter's wheel, and fired at low temperature, a ware that has been linked to the tea ceremony since Sen no Rikyū. The kiln bears the name Rakunyū-gama and is located in Kyōto, in the milieu of Kiyomizu ware.

Three Generations

The founder initially worked in stone processing and ran the Raku pottery as a hobby; after the war, as demand for peace-oriented trades rose, he began producing Raku tea bowls as a side business. The second-generation master turned this into a full-fledged operation: he expanded the range beyond tea bowls to include further tea utensils and figures, and founded the company in 1979. The current, third-generation master exhibits in department stores and galleries throughout Japan and teaches at the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts as well as at the Kyoto Prefectural Ceramics Technical College.

The House Name Manpukudō

Since 1993 the workshop has also carried the house name Manpukudō (萬福堂). It had already been bestowed on the family during the Taishō era by a Zen master of Kennin-ji, and was only revived with the third generation. On box inscriptions and in signatures, both names therefore appear side by side.

Kuro-Raku and Aka-Raku: Two Paths to the Tea Bowl

Anyone who wants to buy a Raku chawan first faces the choice between the two classic glazes. Kuro-Raku, the black Raku, is fired at a higher temperature and pulled quickly from the kiln; it appears austere and makes the green of the tea glow. Aka-Raku, the red Raku, is produced at a lower temperature and retains warmer, earthy tones. Both remain porous and strikingly light – the difference from a wheel-thrown, high-fired bowl can be felt the moment it is lifted. Pieces from the workshop's current production come, at Densho, with the signed wooden box.