Bizen tea cup

This is a new Bizen ware teacup by Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki, an artist who continues to lead the Bizen pottery world with an inexhaustible well of creativity. It is a masterful piece featuring a beautiful synchronization of vibrant, well-melted yellow sesame glaze (yo-goma) and scarlet fire-cord markings (hidasuki). The rim is finished with a fusion of straw ash and sesame, creating a glassy ash glaze that provides a very pleasant feel against the lips. While it is a slightly small, elegant teacup, it would also be interesting to use as a beer glass. Signed wooden box to follow (please allow some time for shipment).
Diameter 7.0cm × Diameter 6.5cm × Height 8.9cm Jun Isezaki was born as the second son of Yozan Isezaki, a master of intricate ceramic craft, and learned pottery from an early age. He entered the path of a ceramic artist after graduating from the Special Art Course at Okayama University in 1959. His body of work is wide-ranging, encompassing not only traditional items like vases, plates, and tea ceremony utensils, but also ceramic walls and sculptural objects. In his production process, he places great emphasis on both shaping and firing, and his style is characterized by a modern sensibility that leverages the unique qualities of his materials and kilns (anagama, climbing, and electric kilns). He is also widely recognized as a leading creator of ceramic reliefs. He became a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1966 and served as a lecturer in the Special Art Course at Okayama University for nine years starting in 1978. In 1998, he and his older brother, Mitsuru Isezaki, were both designated as Holders of Okayama Prefecture Important Intangible Cultural Properties, and in the same year, he began serving as the Secretary General of the Chugoku Branch of the Japan Kōgei Association. In July 2004, he was designated a Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property by the national government.
Awards: Numerous honors including the Kaneshige Toyo Award, the Okayama Prefecture Cultural Encouragement Award, the Sanyo Shimbun Award, and the Excellence Award at the Chanoyu Modeling Exhibition; currently serves as a judge for the prefectural exhibition.