Bizen Blue-Glazed Sake Cup

This is an earlier Bizen blue-glazed sake cup by the late Matsui Konoé, who also mentored future generations as an instructor at the Pottery Center. Because cobalt was mixed directly into the clay itself to create the color, everything from the hue of the *goma* (ash glaze) to the luster of the surface has been transformed by the influence of the blue, resulting in a unique appearance. The color is less of a standard blue and more of a deeply reduced, near-black indigo, and the non-glossy, matte black finish is quite stylish. The striking, well-defined application of the *goma* is truly impressive. (Please note that while there are no signs of use, this is an earlier work accompanied by a 1992 potter's biography.) Original signed wooden box (two-way sliding lid)
Diameter 6.0cm x Diameter 6.0cm x Height 5.8cm Matsui Konoé entered the National Kyoto Ceramics Research Institute in 1949 to study all aspects of pottery. After working for five years at the Kumamoto Prefectural Industrial Research Institute, he returned to Kyoto to apprentice under Kiyomizu-yaki artist and Nitten juror Yoshimitsu Morino. In 1960, while still in training, he was invited by then-Okayama Prefecture Governor Yukiharu Miki to join the Okayama Prefectural Industrial Research Institute's Ceramics Guidance Center. He dedicated himself to cultivating young artists before resigning as director in 1978 to work independently.
His firing is based on natural glazes and the *shiso* (perilla-leaf) color. Furthermore, he crafted vibrant Bizen ware using unique techniques derived from his experience as a Kyoto-ware artist, including *neriage* (kneaded-clay marbleizing), as well as gold, silver, and blue decorative glazes.
Became a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1969. Designated as an Okayama Prefecture Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1996. Exhibited at the Bizen Ware Paris Exhibition in 1997. Awards include the Kaneshige Tōyō Prize, the Okayama Prefecture Cultural Award and Cultural Encouragement Award, and the Sanyo Shimbun Press Award, among many others / Prefectural Exhibition Juror.