Bizen ware sake cup

This is a Bizen sake cup by Rokuro Nakamura, a master craftsman of Bizen ware and renowned as a god of sake vessel making. The piece has a charming "nuke" (clear patch) that resembles a flushed cheek, as if the cup itself had already enjoyed a drink inside the kiln. The light grey surface with traces of sangiri is incredibly smooth, while the spatula marks at the waist and the wheel marks on the body provide a firm grip for your fingers. The interior, revealing a pale yellow clay tone, will change sensitively with use and is sure to intoxicate the eyes. (Please note that the surface is slightly smooth and shows some signs of use.) Signed wooden box (shiho-san)
Diameter 7.1cm × Diameter 7.1cm × Height 5.6cm Rokuro Nakamura worked as a company employee until the end of the war, but in 1945, he began studying under the Living National Treasure Toyo Kaneshige to refine his skills, eventually establishing his own Rokuro Kiln in 1961. He preferred making sake vessels like tokkuri (sake bottles) on the potter's wheel, but also created houbin, kyusu (teapots), and tea bowls using the tatara slab-building technique. His style was rustic and wild; as a creator of unglazed stoneware, he valued the firing process highly and put great effort into kiln loading, which determines the quality of the work. He was certified as a Traditional Craftsman in 1986, the same year he received the Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Award, and was awarded the Seventh Class Order of the Blue Paulownia Leaves in the 1989 Spring Decorations. He passed away in April 2004.