Bizen sake cup

This Bizen sake cup is the work of the prodigious talent Juro Harada, who was described by the great Bizen authority Matasaburo Katsura as a "fearsome talent" while they conducted research on ancient Bizen together. It is a hand-coiled piece with a gentle atmosphere and a silhouette reminiscent of a budding flower. The body, slowly built up by hand, features very fine spatula marks used to refine the surface; these marks create subtle undulations that catch the light against the well-fired, brownish skin, highlighting the delicate texture of the clay and giving the piece a profound sense of character. The rich, thick *hi-dasuki* (fire-cord) markings are so deep and mellow that they almost give the impression of being sticky to the touch. Original signed wooden box (shiho-zan)
Diameter 6.9cm x Diameter 6.8cm x Height 6.4cm After graduating from Meiji University and working in the corporate world, Juro Harada began pottery in 1969. In 1971, he built an *ana-gama* (tunnel kiln) and a climbing kiln the following year, committing himself fully to the craft. From 1975, under the guidance of ancient Bizen researcher Matasaburo Katsura, he visited old kiln sites to study ancient Bizen. In 1991, he built an *ana-gama* kiln on Mt. Amida in Ushimado. He creates jars, tea ceremony utensils, and leaf-shaped dishes, primarily using the hand-coiling technique along with some wheel-thrown work. He has held active solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Osaka, and elsewhere. In 1983, he held a two-person exhibition with Kenji Funaki of Fushina ware at the National Museum of Ethnology in Australia. He received the Japan Ceramic Society Award in 2000. In 2002, his work was exhibited at and acquired by the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu, for its opening commemorative exhibition. In 2005, his work was acquired by the New Orleans Museum of Art in the United States.