the tale of an Asian architectural staple in clay: the pagoda.

In poetry, they have been praised for the spectacular views they afford. The oldest of these structures were built of wood, though most of the survivors of today, are brick or stone. It is without further ado that I share our raku vase

‘The Red Pagoda’.

Pagoda’s were places of spiritual significance,

Mostly Buddhist, but sometimes Taoist. It must be their irresistible ‘chi’ that made them so attractive!

Their origins trace back to India and the ‘stupa’, which was used to house spiritual relics. Their beauty has ensured that these structures eventually spread across most of the Asian continent, where it’s design has been reinterpreted in as many different ways as places it’s been built.

Pagoda’s are almost always built with an odd number of levels

(You’ll see mine has five).

There were no floors on the inside of the pagodas, some were even solid structures. But usually there was a staircase to the top, where visitors could make a joyful climb to take in the view of the landscape around them through the windows and viewing spaces on one side of the structure.

With this vase, you can see all 5 levels of the pagoda in one rich, red place.

---

PAgo-don’t Go before you answer this:

what do you think of my vase interpretation of the pagoda?

And how do you like that red glaze?

Let me know in the comments below!

You can view all of our raku pottery vases and read more
about their stories and inspirations here.