Hello everyone, how are you doing?
Today, I would like to introduce the new sake cups by Koichiro Isezaki, which were recently removed from the kiln.
The highlight of this collection is a distinctive design feature that could be called a "scratched foot."
I would like to explore the charm of Koichiro-sensei’s work through the lens of this unique design.
First, the creation method for this unique scratched, three-pronged design is truly one-of-a-kind.
These sake cups are hand-formed, and in the preparatory stage, the clay is in the shape of a flat board.
While in that state, three lines are scratched and carved into it.
Three lines are recorded on the clay board exactly as if scratched with a three-pronged tool.
After that, the flat clay is raised as if to expand it, eventually taking on the shape of this sake cup.
During this expansion process, the aforementioned scratched three-pronged lines widen,
creating a difference in elevation between the scratched parts and the rest, resulting in a foot-like structure—a "scratched foot."
Because the clay is not touched during this stage and is allowed to deform according to its own nature,
it expresses a natural quality that cannot be forced by human hands.
This is what I have titled "The Face of Clay," and I believe it is one of the true charms of Koichiro Isezaki's work.
Whether by cutting with a knife, pounding clay columns made by a modified pug mill,
hollowing out with a spatula, or tearing the clay to its limit, each method of expression is different,
but by exploring the "face of the clay" sleeping within the material through various approaches,
I feel that Koichiro-sensei truly engages with the magical material that is Bizen clay.
Variations in color—black, red, and white—also create differences in character.
From the waist up, the cup has a refined look shaped by hand.
The scratched foot reveals the hidden nature of the clay, showing its original face.
The interior also has a different expression from the other two areas.
The roughness of the clay and the refinement of the spatula are in perfect balance.
(Koichiro Isezaki / Various Sake Cups)
Left: Black Sake Cup size: Dia. 8.0cm x Dia. 7.8cm x H 6.5cm price:Sold
Center: Bizen Sake Cup size: Dia. 7.8cm x Dia. 7.7cm x H 6.5cm price:Sold
Right: White Sake Cup size: Dia. 8.3cm x Dia. 8.0cm x H 5.7cm price:Sold
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