Painted Bizen Sake Cup

This is a painted Bizen sake cup by Anjin Abe, an artist who possesses profound insight into ancient ceramics and a refined aesthetic sense, creating one-of-a-kind works through his unique research and firing techniques. A majestic red Mt. Fuji is depicted against a glass-based white background, where the world of oil painting and the world of Bizen resonate and are sublimated into the "Abe World." Both sides feature magnificent paintings, allowing either to be enjoyed as the front, with a brilliant *gosan-no-kiri* (paulownia) crest featuring yellow *goma* (sesame-seed) Bizen glaze as its centerpiece. Holding it and gazing at it, one feels the cry of the soul of Anjin Abe—a potter living in the Momoyama period four hundred and some years ago—as if listening to a requiem for the Momoyama era, when potters staked their lives on their aesthetic consciousness. Original signed wooden box (shiho-zan, double box)
Diameter 8.6cm × Diameter 8.7cm × Height 9.1cm Anjin Abe was originally an oil painter. He began collecting ceramics as a hobby, but finding modern Bizen ware unsatisfying, he started pottery in 1972 to create pieces that he himself could be convinced by. He frequently creates water jars, flower vases, flattened jars, bowls, sake bottles, and sake cups, all of which are wheel-thrown and finished with a spatula. He centers his ceramic production on the ancient Bizen ware of the Momoyama period and is highly particular about his firing methods. He also engages in diverse expressive activities, presenting works (mixed media) that combine various materials and techniques such as ceramics, lacquer, oil painting, and bronze. He holds solo exhibitions energetically both in Japan and abroad, including in Tokyo, Osaka, New York, and Paris.