Ibe tea bowl

This is a somewhat earlier Bizen tea bowl by the late master Mitsuru Isezaki, who loved Bizen ware and made significant contributions to Bizen. Its slightly smaller, form-fitting shape that sits perfectly in the palm of one's hand evokes a sense of unity that transcends the barrier between ceramic and human, perhaps embodying the ultimate quality of a tea bowl: that it is "only truly complete when in use." The sophisticated, chocolate-colored surface will surely make the vibrant green of matcha stand out beautifully. The rich, wine-reduction-like color of the interior is also wonderful—a masterpiece befitting a master who truly understood the essence of Bizen. (Although this is an earlier work, there is almost no sign of use.) Includes signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 11.0cm x 10.8cm x Height 8.1cm 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 later 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 his use of climbing kilns and medieval-style anagama kilns depending on the work, insisting on firing with split pine wood while never using electric or gas kilns. He became a regular member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1964 and received the Toyo Kaneshige 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 received... Toyo Kaneshige Award, Okayama Prefectural 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 / Prefectural Exhibition Guest Artist