Bizen ware sake cup

This is a new Bizen sake cup by the popular young artist Yoshiteru Kouriki, a former apprentice to the master Sozan Kaneshige. Fired in the spring of 2016, this latest piece exhibits a magnificent finish characteristic of a highly successful kiln firing. While the piece may appear understated at first glance with its orthodox sesame-glaze aesthetic, it fully expresses the essence of the Kaneshige school through the exceptional quality of its clay; the fragrant, elegant character of the sesame glaze and the clay body itself will surely captivate any sake enthusiast. The landscape of scorched black sesame over the yellow sesame glaze often seen on tea bowls is not only visually pleasing but also offers a soft texture that makes it incredibly comfortable to use. Signed wooden box (shiho-san)
Diameter 6.4cm × Diameter 6.3cm × Height 5.8cm Yoshiteru Kouriki was born in Ako City, Hyogo Prefecture. Influenced by his father’s love for pottery, he pursued a career in ceramics and, after graduating from high school, began studying under the master Sozan Kaneshige and his son Yuho in 1989. After seven years of apprenticeship, he built his own climbing kiln in Shizutani, Bizen City in 1996 to strike out on his own, and achieved his first successful firing the following year. He held his first solo exhibition in Tokyo in 2000 and has held annual solo exhibitions ever since. In 1999, he was selected for the "Exhibition of Confectionery Vessels I Want to Use," and in 2002, he was selected for the "Tea Ceremony Forms Exhibition" for the first time.