Bizen sake bottle

This is a newly fired Bizen sake bottle by Takashi Soga, an artist who challenges the aesthetic of the past by recreating the same environment in which ancient Bizen ware was fired. To replicate the style of the Old Bizen period, he does not use firebricks or modern methods, resulting in a kiln where modern logic regarding thermal efficiency simply does not apply; consequently, it produces a superlative quality of clay that transcends contemporary aesthetics and rivals that of Old Bizen. He has brilliantly recreated the texture of Old Bizen that has traveled through endless time, as if the piece were bathed in natural glaze and then cast into the open sea for two or three hundred years before being retrieved. The finish bears a striking resemblance to the "sesame-peel" scenery (goma-hage) of Old Bizen, said to be caused by sesame and ash glazes flaking off over the passage of time; despite the dramatic visual impact, the texture of the clay surface is soft and inviting to the touch. It is crafted to be remarkably lightweight, making it a perfect piece to nurture while savoring your sake.

Read blog post Signed wooden box to follow (please allow some time for shipping).
Rim 3.6cm × Body diameter 8.6cm × Body diameter 8.5cm × Height 13.8cm, Capacity approx. 400cc Takashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984. He began his apprenticeship under Jun Isezaki in 2009 and built his own kiln in Kuku-i, Bizen City, in 2012. He became independent and began his pottery career in 2013.