Ibe Tokkuri

This is an Ibe-tokkuri (sake bottle) by the master craftsman Mitsuru Isezaki, who loved Bizen ware and made significant contributions to Bizen. It is a rare work for which Mitsuru-sensei used levigated clay (suihi-do), characterized by a smooth texture and a notably broad body. Perhaps due to the use of levigated clay, the texture of the earth shows complex variations in color, including reddish-brown, dark brown, and reddish-purple. The scattering-like sesame glaze (goma) and complex "nuke" (unfired patches) give it a different atmosphere from the usual works of Mitsuru-sensei. Signed wooden box (shiho-san) included
Rim 3.8cm × Body diameter 10.2cm × Body diameter 10.2cm × Height 14.0cm; Capacity 490cc Mitsuru Isezaki was born in 1934 as the eldest son of the Intangible Cultural Property holder Yoza Isezaki. He learned pottery techniques from his father from a young age and majored in sculpture in the special art course at Okayama University. As an authentic master of tea ceramics, he pursued Momoyama-style forms, earthen textures, and firing techniques. He selectively used climbing kilns and medieval-style anagama kilns depending on the piece, eschewing electric or gas kilns in favor of firing with split pine wood. He became a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1964 and received the Kaneshige Toyo Award in 1974. In 1994, he received the Sanyo Shimbun Cultural Contribution Award, and in 1998, the 15th Tanabe Museum of Art Grand Prize. In March of the same year, he was designated as a holder of the Prefectural Important Intangible Cultural Property. He passed away in August 2011 at the age of 77.
Awards: Kaneshige Toyo Award, Okayama Prefecture Cultural Encouragement Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Arts and Culture Contribution Award, Grand Prize at the Tea Ceremony Arts Exhibition, and many others / Invited artist to the Prefectural Exhibition