Bizen Sake Cup

This is a new Bizen sake cup by Koichiro Isezaki, who was born as the eldest son of Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki and is breathing new life into the Bizen ware world through his exceptional sense and masterful sculpting ability. It utilizes a new production technique he devised, in which two sheets of clay are layered together and raised to form the vessel. As the clay expands into a spherical shape, the joined sections remain as a unique linear pattern just below the rim, which could almost be called the trademark of this new technique. The beautiful yellow goma (sesame ash glaze) is well-fired, and the interior in particular glitters as if it contains shards of glass. Signed wooden box (Shiho-san)
Diameter 7.8cm × Diameter 7.4cm × Height 5.5cm Koichiro Isezaki was born as the eldest son of Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki. The Isezaki family is a prestigious Bizen ware lineage; his grandfather was the Intangible Cultural Property holder Yozan Isezaki, and his uncle was the Intangible Cultural Property holder Mitsuru Isezaki, and he himself aspired to pottery from an early age. After graduating from the Sculpture Department of Tokyo Zokei University in 1994, he studied abroad in the United States. He studied pottery for approximately two years under New York City-based ceramic artist Jeff Shapiro, significantly broadening his perspective on art and ceramics. After returning to Japan in 2000, he trained under the guidance of his father alongside his father's apprentices. In 2002, he submitted work to the Tanabe Museum of Art Tea Ceremony Exhibition for the first time and was selected.