Bizen sake cup

This is a new Bizen sake cup by the visionary master Juroku Harada, a genius who was once told by the legendary Bizen scholar Matazaburo Katsura—with whom he studied old Bizen—that his talent was "frighteningly promising." The wood ash has melted into a thick, syrupy glaze that has transformed into a gray, vitreous surface, evoking the intense, ghostly dedication Harada brings to his kiln firing. The piece features a large, round *nuke* (fire-marked unglazed area) along with three smaller ones, allowing the pale cherry-blossom-colored clay to peek through. With its powerful yet meticulously executed hand-coiled form and a coating of fully melted kiln-transformation glaze, this is a truly magnificent work. Signed paulownia box to follow (please allow some time for delivery).
Diameter 7.3cm x Diameter 6.7cm x Height 6.1cm After graduating from Meiji University and working as a company employee, Juroku Harada began his pottery career in 1969. He built an anagama kiln in 1971 and a climbing kiln the following year, fully dedicating himself to the craft. From 1975, under the guidance of Bizen pottery scholar Matazaburo Katsura, he visited ancient kiln sites and studied old Bizen ware. In 1991, he built an anagama kiln on Amidayama in Ushimado. He creates jars, tea ceremony utensils, and leaf-shaped dishes, primarily using the hand-coiling technique, though he also utilizes the potter's wheel in part. He has actively held solo exhibitions in cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. In 1983, he held a joint exhibition at the National Museum of Ethnology in Australia with Kenji Funaki of Fushina ware. He received the Japan Ceramic Society Award in 2000. In 2002, his work was exhibited and acquired by the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu, for its inaugural exhibition. In 2005, his work was acquired by the New Orleans Museum of Art in the United States.