Bizen Black Sesame Sake Cup

This is a Bizen black sesame sake cup by Yoshiteru Koriki, a popular young artist and apprentice to the master Sozan Kaneshige. This cup features the black sesame glaze that Mr. Koriki has been particularly focusing on recently. The rare black sesame effect is achieved by placing the pieces in a spot where the hot kiln drafts blow directly, allowing layers of sesame glaze to build up upon one another, resulting in a gentle, pleasant texture refined enough to be used on tea bowls. This piece also features that rich, mellow texture, along with striking yellow sesame patterns in the interior and a deep caramel-colored clay body that offers a profound charm that never tires the eye. Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 6.5cm × 6.4cm × Height 5.9cm Yoshiteru Koriki was born in Ako City, Hyogo Prefecture. Influenced by his father’s love of pottery, he pursued a path in ceramics, and after graduating from high school in 1989, he studied under the masters Sozan Kaneshige and his son Yuho Kaneshige. Following seven years of apprenticeship, he built his own climbing kiln in Shizutani, Bizen City, and went independent in 1996, successfully firing his first kiln the following year. He held his first solo exhibition in Tokyo in 2000 and has held annual solo exhibitions since. In 1999, he was selected for the "Kita no Kashiki" (Northern Confectionery Vessels) exhibition, and in 2002, he was selected for the "Chanoyu no Zokei" (Forms of Tea Ceremony) exhibition for the first time.