Bizen Tokkuri

This Bizen tokkuri (sake bottle) is by Togaku Mori, a genius craftsman designated as a Prefectural Important Intangible Cultural Property, who pursues and transcends the style of Old Bizen. This piece is from the 1994 kiln opening of the Samukaze great kiln, featuring the fine-grained "goma" (ash glaze) that Master Togaku is particularly meticulous about, creating an exquisite and ephemeral atmosphere. The "tsuchi-aji" (clay texture), which displays a gradation from reddish-brown to a rich scarlet, stands in contrast to the pure hue of the Samukaze white clay. The clear shifts in color are unified by the dignified form, which seems to embody the profound depth characteristic of Old Bizen. This is a distinguished sake bottle that can also be enjoyed as a vase. Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Rim 3.9cm × Body diameter 11.4cm × Body diameter 11.3cm × Height 15.8cm　Capacity approx. 780cc Master Togaku Mori was born the eldest son of Hideji Mori, whose lineage is connected to the six traditional Bizen kiln families. He graduated from the Special Art Course at Okayama University in 1959. He returned to his family home in 1962 to pursue the path of ceramics. He was selected for the Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition the following year and became a regular member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1966. Captivated by Old Bizen, he began research into great kilns around 1972. After building a 46-meter-long great kiln in Aioi City, Hyogo Prefecture, he constructed the 53-meter Samukaze great kiln at his current location, achieving his first firing in 1986. Since then, he has conducted kiln firings every four to five years. He is also currently building a new 90-meter great kiln, which is scheduled for its first firing around 2010. He was designated a Holder of Okayama Prefecture Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1996. In 1997, he exhibited at the Bizen Ware Paris Exhibition. In 2002, he became the first Bizen ware artist to receive the Japan Ceramic Society Award.
Awards: Japan Ceramic Society Award and Gold Prize, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Art and Culture Merit Award, and many others / Prefectural Exhibition Judge