Bizen white sake server

This is a freshly kiln-fired Bizen white sake server by Koichiro Isezaki, who was born the eldest son of Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki and is breathing new life into the Bizen pottery world with his exceptional sense of style and masterful sculptural ability. This piece is part of a sake server series he began creating after the previous kiln firing, and its highly distinctive, streamlined form is a testament to Koichiro Isezaki’s artistic vision. By taking a large ball of clay, tearing it into two pieces, joining them, and then building it up into a sphere, he has skillfully incorporated the rugged "expression of the clay" created by the tearing marks into the work. Using white clay from Ibe, the piece features a base of soft white and pale champagne gold tones, with a "goma" (ash glaze) effect in areas that resembles a mixture of stalactites and smoky quartz. Please note that the server may drip slightly when in use; we encourage you to enjoy the process of letting the sake soak into the clay surface or wiping it with a cloth.

Read our blog post about the "Expression of the Clay" Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 12.3cm × Diameter 9.7cm × Height 7.7cm Koichiro Isezaki was born as the eldest son of Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki. The Isezaki family is a prestigious name in Bizen pottery; his grandfather was Intangible Cultural Property holder Yozan Isezaki, and his uncle was Intangible Cultural Property holder Mitsuru Isezaki, and he himself aspired to be a potter from an early age. After graduating from the Tokyo Zokei University Department of Sculpture in 1994, he studied abroad in the United States. He studied pottery for approximately 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 trained under the guidance of his father alongside his father's other disciples. In 2002, he submitted a work to the Tanabe Museum of Art’s Tea Ceremony Exhibition for the first time and was selected for inclusion.