Bizen ware sake bottle (imotokkuri)

This is a Bizen "imo" (potato-shaped) sake bottle by the master craftsman Mitsuru Isezaki, a man who loved Bizen ware and made immense contributions to the region. Although it dates from a period when the box was simply inscribed "Bizen," the potter's enduring skill remains evident. Its greatest feature is the beautiful texture of the clay, created by selecting only the finest quality rice-field soil, and the hue, which shifts between brown and purple, is truly magnificent. The form, modeled after the "akoda" melon, combined with its refined aesthetic, makes it an excellent vessel for displaying flowers. Signed wooden box (double-slat lid)
Rim 3.5cm x Body diameter 9.6cm x Body diameter 9.3cm x Height 14.6cm; Capacity 460cc Mitsuru Isezaki was born in 1934 as the eldest son of the Intangible Cultural Property holder Yozan Isezaki. He learned pottery techniques from his father from a young age and later majored in sculpture at the Okayama University Special Art Course. As an authentic master of tea ceramics, he pursued the shapes, clay qualities, and firing methods of the Momoyama period. He alternated between climbing kilns and medieval-style tunnel kilns depending on the work, strictly eschewing electric or gas kilns in favor of firing with split pine wood. He became a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1964 and received the Toyo Kaneshige Memorial Award in 1974. In 1994, he received the Sanyo Shimbun Cultural Merit Award, and in 1998, the 15th Tanabe Museum of Art Grand Prize. In March of that 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: Numerous awards including the Toyo Kaneshige Memorial Award, Okayama Prefecture Cultural Encouragement Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Art and Culture Merit Award, and the Grand Prize at the Tea Ceremony Form Exhibition / Invited exhibitor at the Prefectural Exhibition