Bizen Hidasuki Sake Bottle

This is a Bizen Hidasuki sake flask, an earlier work by the prodigy Juro Harada, who was famously described as having a "terrifying future" by Matasaburo Katsura, the great benefactor of Bizen ware, while they conducted research on ancient Bizen together. This flask is characterized by a very hard, tightly fired texture that defies the graceful image typically associated with Hidasuki works. It was fired inside a storage jar within the anagama kiln to protect it from direct flame, resulting in a pristine white surface lightly dusted with scattered sesame-like ash deposits, which beautifully accentuate the crimson-hued Hidasuki markings fired deep into the clay. The beautiful white surface features subtle gradations of fox-red, and the sparse, "utilitarian" application of the Hidasuki creates an indescribable sense of wabi-sabi. The size is also appealing, sitting somewhere between a small sake flask and a standard size, with a dignified, slightly broad-shouldered form and a thick, sturdy neck. (Although this is an earlier work, there are no signs of use; please note that there is a slight mark on the foot where it adhered to the kiln shelf during firing.) Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Rim 4.0cm x Body diameter 8.8cm x 8.7cm x Height 12.0cm; Capacity approx. 330cc After graduating from Meiji University and working in a corporate position, Juro Harada began his pottery career in 1969. He built a small anagama kiln in 1971 and a climbing kiln the following year, devoting himself fully to the craft. From 1975, under the guidance of ancient Bizen researcher Matasaburo Katsura, he visited ancient kiln sites to study ancient Bizen. In 1991, he built an anagama kiln on Amidayama in Ushimado. He produces jars, tea ceremony utensils, and leaf-shaped dishes, primarily using the coil-building technique, though he occasionally employs the potter's wheel. He has held numerous solo exhibitions in cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. In 1983, he held a two-person exhibition with Kenji Funaki of Fushina ware at the National Museum of Ethnology in Australia. He received the Japan Ceramic Society Award in 2000. In 2002, his work was exhibited and acquired for the opening commemorative exhibition of the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu. In 2005, his work was acquired by the New Orleans Museum of Art in the United States.