Bizen-yaki teacup

This Bizen teacup is by Soga Takashi, who challenges the aesthetics of antiquity by recreating the environment of the era in which Old Bizen pottery was fired. To reproduce the style of the Old Bizen period, he avoids the use of firebricks and other modern materials; consequently, the kiln is fired in a way that defies all modern common sense regarding thermal efficiency. As a result, the work displays a superlative "clay flavor" (tsuchi-aji) that transcends modern beauty and approaches that of Old Bizen. Using high-quality rice-field clay—said to have been favored by the master craftsmen of Imbe—the piece was slowly and thoroughly fired in this unconventional kiln, resulting in a bare clay surface with a subtle, exquisite luster. A light application of straw is accented by scattered sesame ash, creating a charming, Old Bizen-style "ito-goma" (threaded sesame) and "tobi-goma" (splashed sesame) effect. Paper box
6.7cm diameter × 6.7cm diameter × 10.3cm height Soga Takashi was born in Tokyo in 1984. He apprenticed under Isezaki Jun in 2009 and built his own kiln in Kugui, Bizen City, in 2012. He began his independent pottery career in 2013.