Bizen sake cup

This Bizen sake cup is the work of the renowned master Mitsuru Isezaki, a man who loved Bizen ware and made immense contributions to the region. It is crafted from clay that the master searched for himself and carefully selected over a long period. Its moist and elegant ash glaze, combined with the subtle kiln-altered coloration, provides a simple yet ideal aesthetic for a sake cup. True to the nature of Bizen ware, its presence in the palm of your hand is so understated that it sometimes seems to fade into the background. It is precisely this lack of pretension that gives it a charm that invites a long-lasting relationship. Original signed box (Nihō-zan type)
Diameter: 6.6cm x 6.5cm, Height: 5.8cm Born in 1934 as the eldest son of Intangible Cultural Property holder Yozan Isezaki, Mitsuru Isezaki learned pottery techniques from his father from a young age and majored in sculpture at the Okayama University Special Art Course. As an authentic practitioner of tea ceramics, he pursued Momoyama-style forms, clay textures, and firing techniques. He distinguished between using a climbing kiln and a medieval anagama kiln depending on the piece, and insisted on firing exclusively with pine wood, never using electric or gas kilns. He became a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1964 and received the Kaneshige Tōyō Prize in 1974. In 1994, he received the Sanyo Shimbun Cultural Merit Award, and in 1998, he won the 15th Tabe Museum Grand Prize. In March of the same year, he was designated as a Prefectural Important Intangible Cultural Property holder. He passed away in August 2011 at the age of 77.
Awards: Kaneshige Tōyō Prize, Okayama Prefecture Cultural Encouragement Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Art and Culture Merit Award, Grand Prize at the Tea Ceremony Form Exhibition, and many others / Invited contributor to the Prefectural Exhibition