Hello everyone, how are you all doing?
In today's seventh installment of our New Year's special project, I would like to introduce a Bizen hand-handled bowl by Kosuke Kaneshige.
In our previous update, we featured the Ibe bowl by his brother, Michiaki Kaneshige,
so comparing it with this current piece might lead to some new discoveries.
This particular work caught my eye the moment I saw it during Kosuke Kaneshige’s kiln opening.
The painstaking process of clay preparation, characteristic of the Kaneshige family, has resulted in a truly magnificent kiln-altered effect (yohen).
The clay preparation feels so pure that it is almost akin to a prayer,
and because of that purity and sanctity, it also makes one feel the steep difficulty of walking such a path.
The miraculous quality of the clay, drawn out by those delicate prayers, possesses both beauty and transience,
which I feel suits the wabi-sabi aesthetic of Bizen ware perfectly.
I often share this when customers purchase works by Kosuke Kaneshige, but
whenever I visit his studio for kiln openings or appraisals,
I am always greeted by a space that is meticulously organized and tidy.
A potter's studio is usually a crucible of trial and error,
typically cluttered with scattered slip and clay shavings, so this is quite unusual.
In Kosuke Kaneshige’s studio, shavings are always collected in one place, waiting for the time they can be reused.
I used to tell customers that this is a lesson from the Kaneshige family on respecting the clay,
but as I wrote this article, I realized that it is, in fact, like a church where prayers are offered.
The way the rim curls and the diagonally applied comb patterns bear the distinct signature of Kosuke-sensei.
The black and gold of the ash-covered and yellow sesame glaze harmonize perfectly with the flashes of scarlet (hio).
I feel that the soft, orange-toned clay texture on the base is further emphasized by the pockmarked (abata) foot.
(Kosuke Kaneshige / Bizen Hand-handled Bowl, size: 27.7cm diameter x 26.4cm diameter x 15.4cm height, ¥300,000)
For detailed images or other inquiries about the work, please contact us below.
Tel 0869-67-2210 Fax 0869-67-2220
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