Bizen Guinomi

This Bizen guinomi (sake cup) is the work of the prodigious talent Juroku Harada, who was described as a "frighteningly gifted" artist by the late Matasaburo Katsura, a great contributor to Bizen ware with whom Harada studied the traditions of Old Bizen. The surface, fired at extreme high temperatures, glows with a luster reminiscent of melting chocolate. The ash glaze (haikaburi) and sesame markings (goma) that cling to the clay body further enhance the aesthetic landscape, brilliantly balancing a fresh, supple texture with intense kiln-effect variations. The subtle movements created by the coil-building technique run throughout the vessel's surface, expressing a sense of motion within a tranquility akin to that of a Raku tea bowl. Signed wooden box (shiho-san) included
Diameter 8.3cm × Diameter 7.5cm × Height 5.7cm After graduating from Meiji University and working in the corporate world, Juroku Harada began his journey in ceramics in 1969. He built his Ona-gama kiln in 1971 and a climbing kiln the following year, committing himself fully to the craft. Starting in 1975, under the guidance of Old Bizen researcher Matasaburo Katsura, he traveled to various historical kiln sites to study Old Bizen ware. In 1991, he built an anagama kiln on Amidayama in Ushimado. He produces jars, tea ceremony utensils, and leaf-shaped dishes, primarily using the coil-building technique, occasionally incorporating the potter's wheel. He has held active solo exhibitions in cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. In 1983, he held a joint 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 and acquired for the opening commemorative exhibition of the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu. In 2005, his work was acquired by the New Orleans Museum of Art in the United States.