Hello everyone, how are you all doing?
Today's update features a new flattened sake bottle (hen-ko tokkuri) by Kosuke Kaneshige.
It is a flattened sake bottle featuring "kase" (dry/matte) kiln transformation, which is considered the finest firing technique of the Kaneshige school, alongside "haikaburi" (ash-covered) kiln transformation with distinct "kumadori" shading.
"Kase kiln transformation" is essentially shorthand for kase sesame glaze plus ash-covered kiln transformation;
the work itself exhibits both soft kase sesame glaze and scarlet hues, alongside the rugged, raised texture of ash-covered kiln transformation.
Because kase sesame and scarlet hues are achieved in lower temperature ranges, while ash-covered kiln transformation occurs in higher temperature ranges,
the piece embodies two contradictory types of kiln transformation.
This is because it was placed in the path of the flames between the chambers of the kiln,
a method of kiln loading devised by Toyo Kaneshige after much effort to improve firing efficiency.
This is a traditional form of the Kaneshige school, passed down from Toyo Kaneshige to Michiaki Kaneshige.
The "keshiki" (scenery) changes dramatically from front to back.
This wealth of highlights and the way the piece changes through use are the greatest characteristics of kase kiln transformation, and the reason it continues to be loved by pottery fans.
The parts where the scarlet color fades look as if they are softly illuminated.
The scarlet color is born in the shadows of the object where the fire did not hit directly, as if the flickering of the flames has been projected onto it.
I have introduced many aspects of the scenery, but there is still so much more to see.
I am sure you will discover even more variations as you use it.
It is a work rich in scenery that only the Kaneshige school, which makes no compromises with clay and firing, can produce.
(Kosuke Kaneshige/Bizen Flattened Sake Bottle size: diameter 11.3cm x diameter 10.3cm x height 13.0cm price: ¥250,000 )
For detailed images of the work, please contact us below.
Tel 0869-67-2210 Fax 0869-67-2220
Email to Kawaguchi Tourakuen (Click to open email composition)