Bizen ware vase with a lily-mouth rim

This is a Bizen "Yuriguchi" (lily-mouth) flower vase by the distinguished Ibe master, Mitsuru Isezaki. It features the deep, rich quality of the soil characteristic of Mitsuru’s work, using high-grade "ta-do" (rice field clay). The brilliant scarlet "nuke" markings surrounded by reddish-purple clay tones set this piece apart from the rest. The form is remarkably simple, yet the fluid, expansive lines of the body and neck possess a powerful sense of dynamism. That it remains so dignified despite its simplicity is a testament to the quality of the clay and the meticulous attention to detail.

With signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Rim width 8.7cm × Mouth diameter 4.2cm × Body diameter 13.3cm × Body diameter 12.5cm × Height 25.0cm

Mitsuru Isezaki was born in 1934 as the eldest son of Intangible Cultural Property holder Yozan Isezaki. He learned ceramic techniques from his father from a young age and majored in sculpture at Okayama University's Special Art Course. A master of authentic tea ceramics, he pursued Momoyama-period aesthetics, clay quality, and firing techniques. He selectively used climbing kilns and medieval-style tunnel kilns, strictly avoiding electric or gas kilns in favor of firing with split pine wood. He became a regular member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1964 and received the Kaneshige Toyo Award in 1974. In 1994, he received the Sanyo Shimbun Cultural Merit Award, and in 1998, the 15th Tanabe Museum of Art Grand Prize. In March of the same year, he was designated as a Prefectural Important Intangible Cultural Property holder. He passed away in August 2011 at the age of 77.
Awards: Kaneshige Toyo Award, Okayama Prefecture Cultural Encouragement Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Art and Culture Merit Award, Grand Prize at the Tea Ceremony Form Exhibition, and many others / Invited contributor to prefectural exhibitions This is a Bizen "Yuriguchi" (lily-mouth) flower vase by the distinguished Ibe master, Mitsuru Isezaki. It features the deep, rich quality of the soil characteristic of Mitsuru’s work, using high-grade "ta-do" (rice field clay). The brilliant scarlet "nuke" markings surrounded by reddish-purple clay tones set this piece apart from the rest. The form is remarkably simple, yet the fluid, expansive lines of the body and neck possess a powerful sense of dynamism. That it remains so dignified despite its simplicity is a testament to the quality of the clay and the meticulous attention to detail. With signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Rim width 8.7cm × Mouth diameter 4.2cm × Body diameter 13.3cm × Body diameter 12.5cm × Height 25.0cm Mitsuru Isezaki was born in 1934 as the eldest son of Intangible Cultural Property holder Yozan Isezaki. He learned ceramic techniques from his father from a young age and majored in sculpture at Okayama University's Special Art Course. A master of authentic tea ceramics, he pursued Momoyama-period aesthetics, clay quality, and firing techniques. He selectively used climbing kilns and medieval-style tunnel kilns, strictly avoiding electric or gas kilns in favor of firing with split pine wood. He became a regular member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1964 and received the Kaneshige Toyo Award in 1974. In 1994, he received the Sanyo Shimbun Cultural Merit Award, and in 1998, the 15th Tanabe Museum of Art Grand Prize. In March of the same year, he was designated as a Prefectural Important Intangible Cultural Property holder.
Awards: Kaneshige Toyo Award, Okayama Prefecture Cultural Encouragement Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Art and Culture Merit Award, Grand Prize at the Tea Ceremony Form Exhibition, and many others / Invited contributor to prefectural exhibitions