Bizen Hidasuki Rope-Pattern Sake Cup

This is a Bizen Hidasuki rope-pattern guinomi by the brilliant artisan Juro Harada, a prodigy who was told he had "frightening potential" while studying old Bizen ware alongside the great Bizen authority, Sensei Matazaburo Katsura. The piece is crafted by taking thin coils of clay and literally twisting them like rope as they are applied to the vessel. The powerful, large-scale form paired with the intricate rope patterns creates a dynamic "Juro World" with a unique aesthetic vision. The fact that such a bold piece avoids any sense of disorder is surely a testament to the decades Juro-sensei has spent dedicated to pottery. It is a magnificent work backed by the density of time spent engaged with ceramics; the astringent blue-gray surface, accented by vermilion fire-marking (hidasuki), evokes a fragrant and elegant earthen quality. The texture, fired in a way that avoided ash contact, resembles frosted glass, and the subtle friction of the clay itself combined with the raised rope patterns provides a very pleasing tactile experience. Signed wooden box (shiho-san)
Diameter 7.8cm × Diameter 7.6cm × Height 7.3cm After graduating from Meiji University, Juro Harada worked in a company before beginning his pottery career in 1969. He built an ana-gama (tunnel kiln) in 1971 and a climbing kiln the following year, committing himself fully to the craft. From 1975, under the guidance of old Bizen researcher Matazaburo Katsura, he visited ancient kiln sites to study old Bizen. In 1991, he built an ana-gama in Amidayama, Ushimado. He creates jars, tea utensils, and leaf-shaped dishes, primarily using the coil-building method, occasionally incorporating the potter's wheel. He has actively held solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Osaka, and elsewhere. In 1983, he held a two-person exhibition with Kenji Funaki of Fushina ware at the National Museum of Australia. He received the Japan Ceramic Society Award in 2000. In 2002, his work was exhibited at and acquired by the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu, for its opening commemorative exhibition. In 2005, his work was acquired by the New Orleans Museum of Art in the United States.