Ibe Tokkuri

This Bizen tokkuri (sake flask) is by the master craftsman Mitsuru Isezaki, who deeply loved Bizen ware and made significant contributions to the region. It is a traditional, unpretentious flask that reflects his complete faith in the inherent appeal of Bizen ware. The clay, carefully selected and glowing with a reddish-purple hue, is further embellished by metallic glazes and sesame-like ash patterns, creating a landscape that possesses both the vibrancy and the understated elegance unique to unglazed pottery. The charming turnip-shaped form is exceptionally well-balanced, as if the countless hours the master spent at the potter's wheel have imbued the piece with an inherent sense of conviction. Original wooden box (shiho-san style)
Rim 4.1cm x Body 10.2cm x Body 10.1cm x Height 12.6cm; Capacity 440cc Mitsuru Isezaki was born in 1934 as the eldest son of Intangible Cultural Property holder Yozan Isezaki. He learned pottery from his father at an early age and studied sculpture in the special fine arts course at Okayama University. As a master of authentic tea ceramics, he pursued Momoyama-style forms, clay qualities, and firing techniques. He distinguished between the use of climbing kilns and medieval anagama kilns depending on the piece, and insisted on firing exclusively with pine wood, never using electric or gas kilns. He became a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1964 and received the Kaneshige Toyo Prize in 1974. He was awarded the Sanyo Shimbun Cultural Merit Award in 1994 and the 15th Tanabe Museum of Art Grand Prize in 1998. In March of that same year, he was designated as a holder of an Okayama Prefecture Important Intangible Cultural Property. He passed away in August 2011 at the age of 77.
Awards: Kaneshige Toyo Prize, Okayama Prefecture Cultural Encouragement Award, Sanyo Shimbun Prize, Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Arts and Culture Merit Award, Grand Prize at the Tea Ceremony Form Exhibition, and many others / Guest exhibitor at Prefectural Exhibitions