Ash-glazed sake cup

This is an ash-glazed sake cup by the popular young artist Yoshiteru Kōriki, a live-in apprentice to the master Sozan Kaneshige. The piece is crafted using mountain clay from Bizen and finished with a basic ash glaze. The subdued, pale water-blue tone of the glaze is remarkably refreshing, and the fine crackle pattern in the transparent overglaze further emphasizes the cool aesthetic. It is a perfect, refreshing piece for the hot summer months. The date of creation is inscribed on the back of the box. Original signed wooden box (shiho-zan)
Diameter 8.0cm x 7.5cm, Height 3.9cm Yoshiteru Kōriki was born in Akō City, Hyōgo Prefecture. Influenced by his father, who loved ceramics, he set his heart on the path of pottery. After graduating from high school in 1989, he apprenticed under the master Sozan Kaneshige and his son Yūhō to master the craft. After seven years of training, he struck out on his own in 1996, building a climbing kiln in Shizutani, Bizen City, and successfully firing his first kiln 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 "Northern Confectionery Vessels I'd Like to Use" exhibition, and in 2002, he was selected for the first time for the "Sculpture of Tea Ceremony" exhibition.