Hello everyone. The Bizen Pottery Festival has come to a close, and autumn is deepening—how are you all doing? Thanks to you, we have all been very busy here with the post-festival cleanup and organizing orders. Thank you so much to everyone who visited the Bizen Pottery Festival and stopped by our shop! Well, even as the excitement of the Bizen Pottery Festival lingers, we have received some hot new arrivals from Koichiro-sensei. Introducing his black-carved bowl, featuring a chic black texture and novel carvings. While the black surface varies depending on how it is fired, this particular piece has a smooth, sleek finish. It is what you might call a "glossy black," which pairs perfectly with the wave-like carvings of the bowl, making it look as if it were carved from a massive gemstone or mineral ore. This "black," which possesses a presence different from conventional Bizen ware, evokes very different images depending on when and who looks at it, and I find it truly delightful just hearing our customers' thoughts on it. Just as the way it appears changes, so too does the way it can be used. How would you use this piece? Would you place it in a Japanese-style room as a vase to bring in a modern flair? Or perhaps use it as a chic accent in a Western-style room? What about the lighting? The wall color? The height at which you display it? Looking at this work, all sorts of "questions" come to mind. Is it the black, unyielding color, or perhaps the way the finish reflects like a water mirror that inspires such curiosity? size: Diameter 19.3cm x 19.2cm x Height 12.2cm price: 44,000 yen