RAKU Tokunyū VIII

Raku Tokunyū VIII was the eighth-generation master of the Raku ceramic lineage and the eldest son of Chōnyū. Born Sokichi and later known as both Eisei and Sabe, he assumed leadership of the kiln at the young age of eighteen. Within a decade, frail health forced his retirement at age twenty-six, with Tokunyū passing the headship to his younger brother Sojirō (later known as Ryōnyū), who was only fourteen years old. Tokunyū never married and died at just twenty-nine, leaving the smallest body of work in Raku history. The name “Tokunyū” was conferred posthumously at his twenty-fifth memorial service.

Despite his short career, Tokunyū achieved exceptional technical refinement. His black Raku tea bowls display a lustrous glaze closely aligned with his father’s formula, while his red Raku chawan are especially prized for innocent charm. Strongly influenced by early Rikyū-style Chōjirō bowls, Tokunyū’s works embody the fundamental aesthetics of Raku ware:  honest, heartfelt forms shaped by youthful sincerity and devotion to the spirit of tea.