Bizen sake cup

This Bizen sake cup is by Takashi Soga, an artist who challenges himself to create ancient beauty by recreating the same environment in which Old Bizen was fired. This *guinomi* (sake cup) features a very rich finish that is reminiscent of Old Bizen Ibe-te. On the front, kiln ash has adhered in a fine, mist-like *goma* (sesame) glaze, reacting with the iron in the clay to form a rich, oil painting-like landscape. The texture of the clay is equally well-fired; its glossy, bitter-chocolate-colored surface possesses a hardness and quality that rivals that of Old Bizen, offering a magnificent aesthetic. Signed wooden box (shiho-san)
Diameter 7.3cm x Diameter 7.0cm x Height 5.8cm Takashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984. He studied under Jun Isezaki in 2009 and built his own kiln in Kugui, Bizen City, in 2012. He began his independent career as a ceramic artist in 2013.