Early Edo period
male
minato pottery
Raku Doraku’s real name was Tanaka Chuemon. He was the younger brother of Donyu III in the Raku family. He lived a dissipated life when he was young, and went to Izumi Province (present-day Osaka) to open up a kiln in 1656. He is believed to have created the fundamentals of Minato ware.
He did not have any children, so he called upon the illegitimate child of Ichinyu IV, Yahei (Ichigen), from Kyoto to carry on the kiln.
