Hello everyone! Today, I would like to report that I have updated the photos used on our homepage banner. Many of you may have already noticed, as the changes were made following yesterday's product uploads, but I am posting the original-sized images here for you to take a closer look. ☆ The first piece is a vase by Kaneshige Toyo. The potter's seal is the relatively long "To" version, dating this piece to just before his final years, around the mid-1950s. The "kabuse-yaki" (covered firing) technique characteristic of this period is employed here, and the work features the two-tone clay body and "goma-hidasuki" (sesame-seed ash and fire-cord) scenery often seen in works from that era. The bluish surface created by reduction firing contrasted with the glowing orange fire-cords is truly beautiful. ☆ The second piece is a Kuro-Bizen (black Bizen) sake flask by Mori Togaku. This is a recent piece, fired in a 20-meter kiln. It features a charming yet refined form typical of Togaku's work, and is characterized by intense, rugged "goma" ash that scorches the surface. The way the black slip has blistered due to the intense fire—a result of the dramatic changes within the kiln—is a highlight of this work. ☆ The third piece is a polychrome Ibe water jar (mizusashi) by Abe Anjin. This is his latest work, and I was granted special permission to photograph it. The "two-by-six" color scheme is magnificent, serving as proof of Anjin's exceptional structural design ability. It features a bright red paired with a dark red mixed with black; a slightly smoked gold paired with white ash mixed with vitreous material; and a light blue that shifts into various hues through subtle gradations, paired with an ultramarine color nearly as deep as black. This painterly approach, where various colors exist in pairs, is employed throughout. Furthermore, the form is imbued with a sculptural, emotional sense of movement; it is truly a work that exists as an expression of Anjin's logical art.