Bizen Gourd-Shaped Sake Bottle

This is a superb new Bizen sake flask by So Kaneshige, who inherited the Maruyama kiln as the eldest son of Sozan Kaneshige and captivates many with his harmony of delicate, elegant clay texture and powerful form. This work, featured in his solo exhibition, is a piece that can be called the ultimate *kase-goma* (matte sesame glaze), displaying a beautiful persimmon-like scarlet color and a fine-grained *kase-goma* known as *enoki-hada* (hackberry bark texture). True to Kaneshige’s reputation as a heavy drinker even among the many Bizen potters, this masterpiece conveys a spirit that asserts if one is to drink sake polished to perfection, it must be received by "living" clay, also polished to perfection. The finish allows you to fully enjoy the true pleasure of a Bizen flask—the way the vessel is "nurtured" by the drops of sake that run down the side when poured—as if the *kase-goma* and scarlet color are begging for sake to be poured into them. The base is finished in a soft triangular shape, allowing for a firm grip in the palm, letting you enjoy petting the fine, aged clay with your whole hand. This piece is fired to match the sake cup, Product No. 3639. Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Rim 2.9cm × Body diameter 9.3cm × Body diameter 9.1cm × Height 15.5cm, Capacity approx. 290cc So Kaneshige is the eldest son of Intangible Cultural Property holder Sozan Kaneshige. After graduating from the Faculty of Agriculture at Kyoto University, he entered the path of ceramics under his father in 1969. He became independent in 1979. He primarily produces tea ceramics using a potter's wheel and is known for his deep firing technique. He strives to eliminate decoration as much as possible and is committed to channeling his own soul directly into the clay. He rarely exhibits in public competitions, focusing his creative energy on solo exhibitions, which he holds energetically every year at department stores in Okayama, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and Kumamoto; he also held a solo exhibition in Munich, Germany, in 1995. In 1997, he also exhibited at the Bizen Ware Paris Exhibition.