Bizen sake cup

This is a Bizen sake cup by Takashi Soga, who challenges the aesthetic of antiquity by recreating the same environment in which Old Bizen was fired. To replicate the style of the Old Bizen era, he avoids the use of modern firebricks; as a result, the kiln is fired in a way that defies all modern common sense regarding thermal efficiency. Because of this, the piece displays an exquisite "tsuchi-aji" (clay character) that transcends modern beauty and approaches that of Old Bizen. He is also meticulous about the quality of the clay, using high-grade rice paddy clay believed to have been used in Momoyama-period pottery, which produces an astonishing texture characterized by fine grain, iron spots, and a unique luster. Through the "kabuse" (covering) technique, he draws out two distinct clay expressions: the pristine surface shielded from direct fire, and the rich reddish-brown to shiso-purple hue cultivated by absorbing fire and smoke, offering the pleasure of endless observation while you drink. (*Please note: there is some "kase-goma" (flaky ash glaze) and chipping of the clay surface at the rim.) Signed wooden box (shiho-san) Diameter 6.8cm × Diameter 6.6cm × Height 5.3cm Takashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984. He studied under Jun Isezaki in 2009 and built his own kiln in Kuku-i, Bizen City, in 2012. He began his independent pottery career in 2013.