Bizen sake bottle

This Bizen sake flask is by Mr. Takashi Soga, who challenges the beauty of antiquity by recreating the environment in which old Bizen ware was fired. To replicate the style of the old Bizen era, he avoids the use of firebricks and other modern materials, firing the pieces in a kiln that defies modern conventional wisdom regarding thermal efficiency. Because of this, the work transcends contemporary aesthetics, displaying a superb quality of clay that rivals that of ancient Bizen. In this particular piece, the artist has developed a work that approaches the "contradictions" inherent in old Bizen, reproducing subtle nuances such as a luster that seems to shine yet does not, and a texture that is simultaneously rugged and weathered, yet soft to the touch. Though modest at first glance, the clay's body—containing a variety of hues including shiso-red, black, and brownish-ochre—is exquisite, and just like ancient Bizen, its appearance when wet represents the very pinnacle of wabi-sabi.

View the blog post about Mr. Takashi Soga's sake flask Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Rim 3.5cm x Body diameter 8.5cm x Body diameter 8.3cm x Height 13.4cm; Capacity approx. 360cc Mr. Takashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984. He studied under Mr. Jun Isezaki in 2009 and built his own kiln in Kuku-i, Bizen City, in 2012. He became independent and began his career as a ceramic artist in 2013.