Bizen Sake Cup

This is a Bizen sake cup fresh from the kiln by Takashi Soga, who challenges the beauty of antiquity by recreating the same environment in which Old Bizen pottery was fired. To replicate the style of the Old Bizen era, no refractory bricks or modern conveniences were used; the kiln is fired in a way that defies all modern common sense regarding thermal efficiency. Consequently, it transcends modern aesthetics to reveal a superb "tsuchi-aji" (clay texture) that rivals that of Old Bizen. Meticulous attention has been paid to the quality of the clay, using high-grade rice-field clay thought to have been used in Momoyama-period pottery, resulting in a remarkable tactile quality characterized by a fine texture, iron spots, and a unique luster. This piece is one of the very few "haikaburi" (ash-covered) kiln-change works produced in this firing, with the ash-covered surface possessing a soft texture as if it had been used for decades. A "nuke" (unfired or unglazed area) is placed only around the base, revealing the sophisticated, softly yellowish clay texture characteristic of "kannon-do" clay, which serves as a scenic highlight. Signed wooden box to be provided later (please allow some time for shipping).
Diameter 6.9cm x Diameter 6.5cm x Height 5.5cm Takashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984. He studied under Jun Iseki in 2009 and built his own kiln in Kuku-i, Bizen City, in 2012. He became independent and began his pottery career in 2013.