Bizen 8-sun plate

This is an eight-sun Bizen ware plate by Rokuro Nakamura, a master craftsman of whom Bizen is proud and who was hailed as the god of sake vessel making. It is a rare work featuring a poem composed by the poet Hosui Arimoto on one of Rokuro’s square plates. The words "Life is a journey; ah, I am a traveler" are carved into it. The piece features the artless, powerful form characteristic of Rokuro, with a rich, dense, shiso-leaf-colored clay texture reminiscent of old Bizen, and a finish accented by moderate ash-covering and sesame-like glazing that is truly captivating. This is an eight-sun Bizen ware plate by Rokuro Nakamura, a master craftsman of whom Bizen is proud and who was called the god of sake vessel making. It is a rare work featuring a poem composed by the poet Hosui Arimoto on one of Rokuro’s square plates. The words "Life is a journey; ah, I am a traveler" are carved into it. The piece features the artless, powerful form characteristic of Rokuro, with a rich, dense, shiso-leaf-colored clay texture reminiscent of old Bizen, and a finish accented by moderate ash-covering and sesame-like glazing that is truly captivating. Signed wooden box (shiho-san)
Diameter 23.7cm x Diameter 23.5cm x Height 4.1cm Rokuro Nakamura worked as a salaryman until the end of the war, but in 1945 he began studying under the Living National Treasure Toyo Kaneshige to hone his skills, eventually building his own Rokuro kiln and becoming independent in 1961. On the potter's wheel, he preferred to craft sake vessels such as tokkuri (sake bottles). Using the tatara slab-building technique, he also created houbin teapots, kyusu teapots, and tea bowls. With his artless and wild artistic style, he valued the firing process essential to unglazed stoneware and focused heavily on the kiln-loading process, which determines the quality of the work. He was named a Traditional Craftsman in 1986, the same year he received the Sanyo Shimbun Prize, and in 1989, he was awarded the Order of the Blue Paulownia Leaves in the spring decorations. He passed away in April 2004.