Bizen Taiko-ishi Sake Cup

This is a Bizen Taiko-ishi sake cup by the brilliant artisan Juro Harada, a prodigy who was told he had a "frighteningly bright future" while studying ancient Bizen alongside the great Bizen authority, Dr. Matasaburo Katsura. The Taiko-ishi stones, embedded like snail-shell curls, radiate a unique presence. The combination of Harada’s signature idiosyncratic form and the solid, profound firing makes this piece truly remarkable. The Taiko-ishi has melted into a white, glass-like substance within the kiln, inviting one to contemplate the intensity of the firing process while admiring the work. Signed wooden box (shiho-san) included
Diameter 7.5cm × 7.3cm × Height 7.1cm After graduating from Meiji University and working for a company, Juro Harada began pottery in 1969. He built an anagama kiln in 1971 and a climbing kiln the following year, devoting himself fully to the ceramic arts. From 1975, under the guidance of ancient Bizen researcher Matasaburo Katsura, he visited old kiln sites to study ancient Bizen. In 1991, he built an anagama kiln on Mt. Amida in Ushimado. He creates jars, tea ceremony utensils, and leaf-shaped dishes, primarily using the coil-building technique, with some use of the potter's wheel. He has actively held solo exhibitions in cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. In 1983, he held a two-person exhibition with Kenji Funaki of Fushina ware at the National Museum of Ethnology in Australia. He received the Japan Ceramic Society Award in 2000. In 2002, his work was exhibited and acquired for the opening commemorative exhibition of the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu. His work was also acquired by the New Orleans Museum of Art in the United States in 2005.