BERLIN -- Despite a tradition of more than 400 years, raku ceramics are now not well-known in Japan beyond the tea ceremony.
Yet, raku is extremely popular with Western potters. Cornelia Nagel, a leading German raku potter, was drawn to the unpredictability of the raku process and the uniqueness of each piece.
"I have no way to picture in my head (how the piece will turn out) when I begin," said Nagel at her ceramics workshop in the outskirts of Berlin. "It is different each time, and you only get one chance."