Bizen Hidasuki Hand-Formed Sake Cup

This is a Bizen hidaski (fire-cord) hand-molded sake cup by the popular young artist Yoshiteru Koriki, a direct apprentice of the late master Sozan Kaneshige. It is a work with a magnificent firing, characteristic of Koriki, who counts Sozan Kaneshige—the father of electric kiln hidaski firing—as his mentor. The soft, off-white clay body has a slight yellowish tint and is adorned with a strikingly vibrant red hidaski pattern that stands in a class of its own. This superb aesthetic could only be achieved through relentless research and an uncompromising commitment to the clay and straw used in the firing process. The size and pleasant heft of the cup, a result of the hand-molding process, make it fit comfortably in the palm, allowing one to fully enjoy its smooth texture. Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 7.1cm × 7.0cm × Height 5.5cm Yoshiteru Koriki was born in Ako City, Hyogo Prefecture. Inspired by his father, a lover of ceramics, he set his heart on the path of pottery and, after graduating from high school, studied the craft under the father-and-son masters Sozan and Yuho Kaneshige starting in 1989. After seven years of apprenticeship, he established his own climbing kiln in Shizutani, Bizen City, in 1996 and successfully produced his first firing the following year. He held his first solo exhibition in Tokyo in 2000 and has held annual solo exhibitions ever since. In 1999, he was selected for the "Sweets Containers I Want to Use" exhibition, and in 2002, he was selected for the "Tea Ceremony Forms" exhibition for the first time.