Bizen Sake Cup

This Bizen sake cup is by Takashi Soga, who challenges the beauty of antiquity by recreating the same environment in which Old Bizen was fired. The rich, nuanced texture of the clay, a culmination of the artist's daily research, features iron spots and brownish-red *hidasuki* (fire cord) patterns that are indistinguishable from the skin of Old Bizen pieces. While the *goma* (ash glaze) is fired to a crisp, it retains a matte finish without any glossy sheen, presenting a sophisticated, weathered landscape. Furthermore, the swirling pattern of the *koudai* (foot) where the ash glaze meets looks remarkably like an old tree stump when viewed head-on, adding an intriguing touch. Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 7.9cm × Diameter 7.5cm × Height 3.5cm Takashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984. He studied under Jun Isezaki in 2009 and built his kiln in Kugu, Bizen City, in 2012. He began his independent career as a ceramic artist in 2013.