I just took this out of the kiln last week, and the kiln itself takes another day or two to cool down, but raku is really fast. You do it outside, and you take the kiln up to temperature. In 15 minutes, it goes to 1,500 degrees, and as soon as you see that the glaze has melted inside, you can see that faint sheen, you turn the kiln off, and you reach in with these long metal tongs, you grab the pot, and in Japan, this red-hot pot would be immediately immersed in a solution of green tea, and you can imagine what that steam would smell like.
Jeg tog denne ud af ovnen i sidste uge, og ovnen selv er endnu en dag eller to om at køle ned, men for raku går det rigtig hurtigt. Du gør det udenfor. Du varmer ovnen godt op. På 15 minutter når den op på 1500 grader, og ligeså snart du kan se, glasuren er smeltet derinde, og du kan se en svag glans, så slukker du for ovnen, og så griber du en af disse lange metaltænger og tager potten med, og i Japan ville denne rødglødende potte straks blive sænket ned i en opløsning af grøn te, og du kan nok forestille dig, hvordan den damp vil dufte.