Tea cup

This is an earlier work of a yunomi (tea cup) by Togaku Mori, a master artisan designated as a Prefectural Important Intangible Cultural Property, who pursues and seeks to transcend the style of ancient Bizen ware. This yunomi well exemplifies the signature style of Mori, who uses mold-forming techniques to imbue his work with a primitive aesthetic. Authentic yunomi by Togaku Mori are rare and infrequently seen. The interior has been carefully scraped with a spatula, which, combined with the matte texture of the surface, gives it an appearance akin to ancient earthenware. Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 9.4cm x Diameter 8.9cm x Height 10.7cm Togaku Mori was born as the eldest son of Hideji Mori, a descendant of one of the six main Bizen pottery families, and graduated from the Okayama University Special Art Course in 1959. He returned to his family home in 1962 to begin his career in ceramics. The following year, he was selected for the Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition, and in 1966, he became a full member of the Japan Art Crafts Association. Fascinated by ancient Bizen ware, he began researching large kilns around 1972. Following a 46-meter-long large kiln he built in Aioi, Hyogo Prefecture, he constructed the 53-meter-long Samukaze large kiln at his current location, successfully firing it for the first time in 1986. Since then, he has fired the kiln every four to five years. In 2015, he successfully fired a new 85-meter-long large kiln. He was designated as a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property by Okayama Prefecture in 1996. In 1997, his works were exhibited at the Bizen Ware Paris Exhibition. In 2002, he became the first Bizen ware artist to receive the Japan Ceramic Society Award.
Awards: Japan Ceramic Society Award and Gold Prize, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Art and Culture Merit Award, and many others / Prefectural Exhibition Juror