Bizen sake bottle

This is a Bizen sake bottle by the late Rokuro Nakamura, a traditional craftsman whom Bizen takes pride in, and who was hailed as a god of sake ware production. This work dates back to his 40s, a relatively early period, and features a well-fired surface that possesses a charm distinct from his later years. While the molding displays the characteristic nuances in the tension of the rim typical of Nakamura, it follows a relatively earnest and straightforward shoulder-impinging (katatsuki) form. It features the "abata" (pockmarked) base characteristic of Nakamura, who used to spread ash on his potter's wheel, and the reduction firing has given it a faint, silvery hue. A powerful signature is carved into the base. The sake flows out with an exceptionally pleasant rhythm and a clean pour, a testament to why he is admired as a master of sake vessels. Comes in a signed wooden box (shiho-san).
Rim 4.2cm × Body diameter 8.9 × 8.8cm × Height 12.0cm, Capacity approx. 300cc Rokuro Nakamura worked as a company employee until the end of the war, after which he studied under Living National Treasure Toyo Kaneshige in 1945 to hone his skills, eventually establishing his own Rokuro Kiln in 1961. He favored creating sake vessels like tokkuri on the potter's wheel, while also working on hōbin (teapots), kyūsu (side-handle teapots), and tea bowls using the tatara method. His style was rustic and brimming with wild vitality; as an artist of unglazed stoneware, he valued the firing process immensely and put great effort into the kiln-loading process, which determines the quality of the work. He was named a Traditional Craftsman in 1986, receiving the Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Prize that same year, and was awarded the Order of the Blue Paulownia Leaves (7th Class) in the spring honors of 1989. He passed away in April 2004.