Pour the black sake.

This black sake server was just removed from the kiln by Koichiro Isezaki, an artist who is breathing new life into the world of Bizen ware through his exceptional sense and skillful sculpting abilities, and who was born as the eldest son of Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki. This is part of a sake server series he began creating after his previous firing, and its highly distinctive, streamlined form clearly reflects Isezaki's artistic sensibility. By tearing a large clay sphere in two and joining the pieces to construct the form, he has successfully incorporated the rough "visage of the clay" left by the tearing process into the work. He used a black slip, and in reaction to it, the yellow sesame glaze (kama) has shifted into three distinct patterns: a standard yellow sesame glaze on the front, cobalt blue where the rim is or where drops of ash have landed, and a transparent green sesame glaze on the interior. Please note that the server may drip slightly when in use; we encourage you to enjoy the process by letting the liquid blend into the clay surface or wiping it with a cloth.

Read our blog post about "The Visage of the Clay" Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 12.8cm × Diameter 10.7cm × Height 13.5cm Koichiro Isezaki was born as the eldest son of Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki. The Isezaki family is a prestigious name in Bizen ware; his grandfather was the Important Intangible Cultural Property holder Yozan Isezaki, and his uncle was Mitsuru Isezaki, also an Important Intangible Cultural Property holder. Koichiro aspired to be a potter from a young age. After graduating from the Department of Sculpture at Tokyo Zokei University in 1994, he studied abroad in the United States. He studied ceramics for about two years under Jeff Shapiro, a potter based in New York City, which greatly broadened his perspective on art and ceramics. After returning to Japan in 2000, he worked hard at his training under his father's guidance alongside his father's apprentices. In 2002, his work was submitted to and selected for the Tanabe Museum of Art's Tea Ceremony Exhibition for the first time.