Bizen Indigo-Glazed Sake Bottle

This is a Bizen blue-glazed sake bottle (tokkuri) by Yoshiyuki Matsui, an artist who also mentored future generations as an instructor at the ceramic art center. Because the color was drawn out from the clay itself, everything from the hue of the sesame glaze (goma) to the sheen of the surface has been uniquely transformed by the influence of the blue glaze. The goma, which appears slightly grayish, shimmers and seems to tighten the appearance of the blue surface. The blue surface itself shifts in complex flows of flame, becoming lapis lazuli in some parts and a metallic gray in others. Original signed wooden box to be provided at a later date (please allow some time for shipping).
Rim: 3.9cm × Body diameter: 8.5cm × Body diameter: 8.4cm × Height: 12.6cm; Capacity: approx. 330cc Yoshiyuki Matsui entered the Kyoto Municipal Institute of Industrial Ceramics in 1949, where he studied all aspects of ceramic art. After working at the Kumamoto Industrial Research Institute for five years, he returned to Kyoto to study under Yoshimitsu Morino, a Kiyomizu-ware artist and Nitten exhibition judge. In 1960, while still in training, he was invited by then-Okayama Governor Yukiharu Miki to join the Okayama Industrial Research Institute's ceramic guidance center. He devoted his efforts to nurturing young artists before resigning from his position as director to go independent in 1978.
His firing techniques are based on natural glazes and shiso (perilla-leaf) coloring. He also produces vivid Bizen ware using unique techniques derived from his experience as a Kyoto-ware artist, such as "neriage" (marbling two types of clay together), as well as gold and silver glazing and blue glazing.
He became a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1969. In 1996, he was designated as a Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property by Okayama Prefecture. In 1997, his work was exhibited at the Bizen Ware Paris Exhibition. His numerous awards include the Kaneshige Tōyō Prize, the Okayama Prefecture Cultural Award and Cultural Encouragement Award, and the Sanyo Shimbun Prize; he has also served as a judge for the prefectural exhibition.