Long time no see.

This is a slightly earlier work—a *guinomi*—by the prodigious Mori Togaku, a Prefectural Important Intangible Cultural Property holder who pursues and strives to surpass the essence of Old Bizen. It features a clean, caramel-colored clay body made from Samukawa soil, though it comes with a blue cord rather than the custom gray/pink cord used on current pieces. The bright, oxidized-fired surface is crisp, with fine *goma* (ash glaze) layered across the interior, creating a rich and tasteful landscape. While understated, the depth of its charm—seen in the gradation of the clay and the scorched *goma* inside—is reminiscent of Togaku-sensei himself: a man of few words, yet harboring a fiery passion within. (*Please note: this piece does not include a shiori/pamphlet.) Signed wooden box (double-braced lid)
Diameter 7.6cm × Diameter 6.8cm × Height 5.3cm Mori Togaku was born the eldest son of Mori Hideji, a descendant of one of the six traditional Bizen pottery families, and graduated from the Okayama University Special Art Program in 1959. He returned to his family home in 1962 to pursue the path of ceramics. He was selected for the Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition the following year and became a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1966. Captivated by Old Bizen, he began researching large-scale kilns around 1972. After building a 46-meter kiln in Aioi, Hyogo Prefecture, he constructed the current 53-meter Samukawa large kiln, successfully firing it for the first time in 1986. Since then, he has fired the kiln every four to five years. He was also in the process of building a new 90-meter kiln scheduled for its first firing around 2010. He was designated as an Okayama Prefectural Important Intangible Cultural Property holder in 1996. In 1997, he exhibited at the Bizen Ware Paris Exhibition. In 2002, he became the first Bizen ware artist to receive the Japan Ceramic Society Award.
Awards: Japan Ceramic Society Award, Japan Ceramic Society Gold Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Art and Culture Merit Award, and many others / Prefectural Exhibition Juror