Bizen sake cup

This is a newly fired Bizen sake cup by Takashi Soga, an artist who challenges the beauty of antiquity by recreating the same environmental conditions under which ancient Bizen ware was fired. To replicate the style of the ancient Bizen era, he avoids the use of firebricks and other modern materials; consequently, the kiln operates outside all modern conventional wisdom regarding thermal efficiency. This process results in an exquisite clay texture that transcends contemporary aesthetics and approaches the quality of ancient Bizen. The brownish surface features a subdued *hidasuki* (fire-cord) pattern; while understated at first glance, it reveals a powerful clay surface that seems to unleash the vital energy of the earth, characteristic of Soga-sensei, who holds ancient Bizen in deep reverence. The *hidasuki*, possessing a hue closer to crimson than standard red, exudes a refined maturity, and its appearance across the dry, wheat-colored surface is the very embodiment of ancient Bizen *hidasuki*. The wheat-colored body itself is marked by tiny black spots caused by iron content, which add an exquisite allure to its parched texture.

View blog post Signed box to follow (please allow some time for shipping).
Diameter 6.6cm x Diameter 6.6cm x Height 5.4cm Takashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984. He studied under Jun Isezaki in 2009 and built his kiln in Kugu, Bizen City, in 2012. He became independent in 2013 and began his career as a ceramic artist.