Bizen Sake Cup

This is an earlier Bizen sake cup by Kosuke Kaneshige, leader of the Kaneshige school and son of the legendary Living National Treasure and restorer of Bizen ware, Toyo Kaneshige. It includes a biography from around 1990, suggesting it dates from that period. The brilliant scarlet hue, so vibrant it is as if the kiln transformation were "glowing" with fire, possesses a power that remains timeless. The vivid, wet-feather-like luster of the ash-covered kiln transformation is equally magnificent—a truly luxurious sake cup that pushes the limits of kiln effects and the character of the clay. Being an earlier work, it is slightly larger and has more presence in the palm than the artist's current style. (Please note that while there are almost no signs of dirt or use, this is a past work.) Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 7.1cm × Diameter 7.0cm × Height 6.0cm Kosuke Kaneshige is the third son of Living National Treasure Toyo Kaneshige. He graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts in 1968, majoring in sculpture, and completed his graduate studies in sculpture there in 1970. He began presenting ceramic works in 1975, and after serving as a lecturer at Tokai University, he returned home in 1977. He built his own climbing kiln in 1982. He creates objects, tea utensils, flower vases, tableware, and sake vessels. In 1991, he created the ceramic mural "Light and Wind" for the Yasuda Fire & Marine Insurance building in Okayama. He received the Japan Ceramic Society Award in 1994. In 1997, he exhibited at the Bizen Ware Paris Exhibition. He holds solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Osaka, and other locations. In 2012, he was designated as a Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property by Okayama Prefecture.