Painted Bizen Sake Cup

This is a painted Bizen sake cup by Yasuhito Abe, an artist who possesses profound insight and an aesthetic sense regarding ancient pottery, and who creates one-of-a-kind works through his unique research and firing techniques. A grand, red Mt. Fuji is depicted on a glass-based white background, where the world of oil painting and the world of Bizen resonate and are sublimated into the "Abe World." The other side also features a magnificent painting, allowing both sides to be enjoyed as the front, with a brilliant "five-three paulownia" crest set against a primary backdrop of Bizen’s yellow sesame glaze. It is as if the immense energy of the Momoyama period—a time when the culture of pottery reached a critical point due to the heightened aesthetic consciousness of the people—has been revived in the modern age through the person of Yasuhito Abe. Signed wooden box (double-boxed, with cross-cleat lid)
Diameter 8.8cm × Diameter 8.8cm × Height 8.9cm Yasuhito Abe was originally a Western-style painter. He collected pottery as a hobby, but finding contemporary Bizen ware unsatisfying, he began creating ceramics in 1972 to produce works that lived up to his own standards. He frequently creates water jars (mizusashi), flower vases, flat-sided jars, bowls, sake bottles (tokkuri), and sake cups (shuto). Everything is wheel-thrown and finished with a spatula. He places the foundation of his pottery in the ancient Bizen ware of the Momoyama period and is uncompromising in his firing techniques. He is also engaged in diverse creative activities, presenting works that combine various materials and techniques, such as ceramics, lacquer, oil painting, and bronze (mixed media). He holds solo exhibitions energetically both in Japan and abroad, including in Tokyo, Osaka, New York, and Paris.