Born in 1857, Raku Kônyû XII was the eldest son of Raku Keinyū XI and inherited the family workshop at the age of fifteen. During the Meiji era, when traditional tea culture faced decline, he worked with his father to sustain the Raku lineage and continued producing traditional tea bowls. He died in 1932. Alongside quietly rounded forms, he explored reserved-glaze designs and series made to commemorate important occasions in the Raku lineage.