Among tea people, there is a word “一楽・二萩・三唐津“【ICHI RAKU・NI HAGI・SAN KARATSU】;First is 楽【RAKU】, Second is 萩【HAGI】, And Third is 唐津【KARATSU】.

That represent one of values of the way of tea, and there are so many kinds of Tea Bowls otherwise. Let’s see them here.

 １.楽【RAKU】２.萩【HAGI】３.唐津【KARATSU】 ４.瀬戸【SETO】
５.備前【BIZEN】６.織部【ORIBE】 ７.美濃【MINO】 
Foreign country ８.唐物【KARAMONO】９.高麗物【KOURAIMONO】 
Kinds of shape depend on season 
10.平茶碗【HIRA-CH（Z）AWAN】11.筒茶碗【TSUTSU-ZYAWAN】

●Other kinds of pottery in Japan ：六古窯【RO-KKO GAMA（Six Old Pottery）】
越前【ECHIZEN】・瀬戸【SETO】・常滑【TOKONAME】・信楽【SHIGARAKI】・丹波【TAMBA】・備前【BIZEN】

1.楽【RAKU】
There are 黒楽【KURO(Black) RAKU）】and 赤楽【AKA(Red RAKU)】. Purely Japanese style tea bowl, which was born for only 抹茶【MATCHA】, by the most great tea master 千利休【SEN NO RIKYUU】.

●黒楽茶碗【KURO RAKU – C(Z)HAWAN】

黒【KURO】means “black”, and 楽【RAKU】means “relax and happy”.

A whole surface of 黒楽【KURO-RAKU】 tea bowl is covered by beautiful and smooth shiny black glaze looks like 漆器【SHIKKI】or 漆【URUSHI（JAPAN lacquer wears)】.

楽焼【RAKU-YAKI(RAKU-pottery)】was created by 千利休【SEN NO RIKYUU】, the most famous and important tea master called 茶聖【CHA-SEI（Tea-saint)】.

He ordered 長次郎【CHOUJIROU】, a craft man living in 京都【KYOUTO】to make it.

They are made by hand kneading, not used potter’s wheel. They fit in people’s hands warmly and the color of yellow green 抹茶【MATCHA】matches very much with their deep black.

●赤楽茶碗【AKA-RAKU C(Z)HAWAN】

赤楽【AKA-RAKU】means “RED-RAKU”.
千利休【SEN NO RIKYUU】 also ordered 長次郎【CHOUJIROU】making RED-RAKU, taste like a burning flame, too.

It can be said that it is also an excellent tea bowl that combines gorgeousness and 侘び寂び【WABI-SABI】taste at the same time.

ESSAY about 楽【RAKU】tea bowls:
It is said the letter 楽【RAKU】was took by the name of 聚楽第【JYU "RAKU" DAI】(Jyuraku is a name of one kind of heavens in Buddhism idea), which was a palace of 豊臣秀吉【TOYOTOMI-HIDEYOSHI】, the ruler of that time and he was a boss of 利休【RIKYUU】.
The mud for 楽【RAKU】tea bowl was taken by 聚楽第【JYU RAKU DAI】 palace when it was  built. At that age, 秀吉【HIDEYOSHI】wanted to earn potteries of 高麗【KOURAI(Korea now)】strongly and prepared to assault there to get them. 
利休【RIKYUU】tried to persuade him to stop it and prompted him to satisfy with which we already have in our country. I think that is a reason 利休【RIKYUU】made this tea bowl.
利休【RIKYUU】was ordered to kill himself in 切腹【SEPPUKU(Cut his stomach by sword by himself）】by 秀吉【HIDEYOSHI】.
It is said the reason of 利休【RIKYUU】's 切腹【SEPPUKU】had been a mystery for hundred years though, I think that is one of the reasons of it.

The shape of 楽【RAKU】is considered to make delicious 抹茶【MATCHA】.

Since 楽【RAKU】 was created to make 抹茶【MATCHA】 especially for , there are some features to make it most delicious and easy to make it.

It has a bulge called 茶筅擦り【CHASEN-SURI】 on the part of tea bowl where the 茶筅【CHASEN(a whipper made by a piece of bamboo)】touches, so that it can be easily swung.

In addition, there is a small dent in the bottom of a tea bowl which is called a 茶溜り【CHA DAMARI(Tea dent )】. where the small amount of remaining MATCHA powder is gathered there (this prevents to mess inside of a bowl with excess powders). 楽【RAKU】 tea bowls are hand-formed without using a potter’s wheel, so this tea pool can be easily formed. In this way, 楽【RAKU】 tea bowls are devised optimally for making 抹茶【MATCHA】 in Japanese tea ceremonies.
It is also this 楽【RAKU】 tea bowl that is often used as the main tea bowl called 主茶碗【OMO-C（Ｚ）YAWAN(main tea bowl】, the most important tea bowl for the main guest at tea ceremonies.