Bizen Sake Cup

This is a newly fired Bizen sake cup by Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki, an artist who consistently leads the world of Bizen ware with an inexhaustible creative power. His pottery style involves ideas expanding one after another while at the potter's wheel, and this piece is characterized by its geometric patterns and wide-open rim. The pentagonal form was created by pressing a lever directly into the clay, reflecting Isezaki-sensei's boundless imagination. It is richly and well-fired, and the interior displays an exceptional landscape with a matte, caramel-brown clay body. (Please note that there is a stone on the bottom edge, which causes slight wobbling.) Signed wooden box (shiho-san)
Diameter 7.9cm x Diameter 7.3cm x Height 7.1cm Jun Isezaki was born as the second son of Yozan Isezaki, a master of ceramic craftwork. He learned pottery from a young age and embarked on a professional career after graduating from the Special Art Course at Okayama University in 1959. His body of work is wide-ranging, encompassing everything from traditional items like flower vases, plates, and tea ceremony wares to ceramic walls and abstract objects. In his production process, he places great importance on both shaping and firing, utilizing the unique characteristics of various materials and kilns (anagama, climbing kilns, and electric kilns) to create a style imbued with a modern sensibility. He is also a leading figure in relief sculpture and has presented numerous works. He became a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1966. From 1978, he served as a special lecturer in art at Okayama University for nine years. In 1998, he and his brother, Mitsuru Isezaki, were both designated as Holders of Important Intangible Cultural Property of Okayama Prefecture; in the same year, he became the Secretary General of the Chugoku Chapter of the Japan Kōgei Association. In July 2004, he was designated a Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure).
Awards: Numerous awards including the Kaneshige Toyo Prize, Okayama Prefectural Cultural Encouragement Award, Sanyo Shimbun Prize, and Excellence Award at the Tea Ceremony Arts Exhibition, among others / Served as a judge for the prefectural exhibition.