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.
Tirei esta do forno na semana passada. O forno demora um ou dois dias a arrefecer, mas o "raku" arrefece muito rapidamente. Faz-se ao ar livre e aquece-se o forno à temperatura desejada. Em 15 minutos, atinge os 1500 graus. Mal se veja que o vidro derreteu, e que aquele brilho está a esmorecer, apaga-se a fornalha, e, com estas longas pinças de metal, retira-se a taça. No Japão, esta taça incandescente era imediatamente mergulhada  numa solução de chá verde. Podem imaginar o aroma do vapor.